The Light at the End of the Tunnel
by HisVampira
Summary: MA. I own nothing. Sequel to A Light in the Dark. Slightly dark in nature. Everything is as it should be, until...WIP Ch. 17 & Ch. 18 are now up!
1. The Way it Should Be

Disclaimer: I own nothing at all except for the plot and maybe a few new characters. :Sigh: I can only be thankful for this. 

Author's Note: I wasn't going to write a sequel to A Light in the Dark. It was meant to be just a short "this is the way it should have been fic." But Queenie and a few others have _asked_ me to continue it (asked in quotes because I really mean ordered). So...I hope you're happy guys. It's all your fault :)

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The Light at the End of the Tunnel

_Sequel to A Light in the Dark_

Chapter One: The Way it Should Be

It was early morning and Terminal City was bustling with transgenics and transhumans alike, all going about their daily business. It seemed as if the entire city was awake, ready to face this new day. A lot of things had changed in the 5 years since the war against the 'freaks' had begun. Some good, some bad, but some things would never change.

High above the city, in a newly renovated apartment building, a man and a woman sat at a kitchen table in the apartment they shared, their voices raised in irritation.

"You are an idiot," Max accused, a hand moving a thick strand of long chestnut hair out of her face.

"Max, I'm not an idiot. Sometimes I think I'm the only one that has any intelligence left in this city," Alec argued. His hazel eyes held that familiar spark of energy that Max knew so well. To anyone who didn't know them very well, it would seem the two were on the very verge of tearing each other apart. To someone like Joshua, who inhabited the apartment next to the couple, it was the way they were, one of the ways they showed each other they cared. It was a way the two of them could vent their anger and frustration on someone who understood and could forgive them; an added bonus being that they both loved seeing the flames that burned in each other when they were angry.

"It's a good idea, but there's no way the pros outweigh the cons. We're finally being accepted, largely in part to you. You can't give up your position now, not when it's doing so much good."

"Maxie, I've done what I could with my position in the city council, but I'm tired of having no time to spend here with you." Alec's expression softened visibly and he reached out to put a hand on one of hers that was setting on the table. "It's just been one conference after the other. I never know when I'm going to be home, or even in the city. It's time for someone else to take over. I don't want to be away from you anymore. And when this election starts, I'll be gone even more."

"Alec, you know how much I miss you when you're gone, and I would love to be able to spend more time with you. But who's going to take your place? Mole?" She laughed slightly at the thought of the lizard man in a business suit, standing at a podium giving a speech, talking through the lit cigar in his mouth. Alec smiled at the flicker of laughter that shined in Max's eyes.

"Actually...there is someone. Jake wants to run." Jake was an X4 who had quickly made his way up the ranks in Terminal City after the incident with the Familiars 4 years ago. He was now next in command after Max and Alec.

"Wow...he'd be great. Not quite as charming as the incumbent, though. Almost as good looking...with those chiseled features and those big blue-"

"Hey! The incumbent who is coincidentally your BOYFRIEND sitting exactly here!" Max grinned and chuckled at the look of jealousy and playfullness on her partner's face. Seeing her expression, Alec chastized himself mentally for not realizing she was just trying to get a rise out of him.

"No worries. I said almost. No one's quite as good looking as my baby." She leaned across the table and kissed him tenderly.

Once they broke apart, Alec's face turned serious.

"So, I was thinking, after the election is over, do you think...maybe we could get away from here for a little while? Maybe take a much needed vacation?"

"I think I'd like that," Max replied.

Alec scooted his chair next to her, the woman of his dreams, and embraced her. This was exactly the way things should be, should have always been, and he told her as much.

"Yeah, you're right. I love you Alec. This is exactly the way things should be."

"I love you too. And it's not _exactly_ the way things should be." Max raised an eyebrow questioningly. Alec smirked and said, "Ideally, there'd be less talk and more gettin' naked." Max smacked him playfully on the back of the head. "Seriously, some things never change," Alec said while rubbing his head dramatically.

A man watched from a van in an alleyway as the two transgenic leaders walked arm in arm toward the headquarters of Terminal City. He played back the audio feed from the apartment, listening with quiet rage.

_"I love you Alec. This is exactly the way things should be." _

_"I love you too. And it's not exactly the way things should be. Ideally, there'd be less talk and more gettin' naked."_ A small _thwack_ could be heard in the background. _"Seriously, some things never change."_

The man leaned back in the van's seat, arms behind his head. "And some things just need a little push to get to the way they're supposed to be." He smiled with satifaction as he started the van and pulled out of the alley, the couple completely oblivious to anything but each other.

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Likes, dislikes, suggestions, guesses? Let me know :) 


	2. Election Malfunction

Author's Note: I just can't seem to stop writing fanfic, no matter how hard I try. It's New Years and yet...I'm here in front of the computer, typing my little heart out. Of course...if I didn't, I have a feeling at least a couple people would yell at me. :) Also...there's a little bit of a surprise in here...at least I _hope_ it surprises you! Please enjoy, and remember...I love the feedback!

* * *

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

_Sequel to A Light in the Dark_

Chapter Two: Election Malfunction

"Are you ready for this?" Alec asked the X4 next to him. It had been almost a month since Alec had told Jake he should run for office. It had been three weeks since Jake had officially announced his running for office. It had been two hours since the results had come back in that the X4 had won the election. Now he and Alec were standing behind a large blue curtain on the stage where he was to give his acceptance speech. In front of hundreds of people.

"I don't know. All of the other conferences were pre-recorded and the audience wasn't this big..." Jake wrung his large hands together nervously.

Alec put a hand on the big man's shoulder. "You'll do fine. They love you." It was still slightly unbelievable to the X5 that the very people who not long ago would've called this man a freak and try to kill him because he looked...slightly less than human, had elected him in a sweeping victory to a position of power.

Jake, was Max would say, had a little too much bear in his cocktail, making him very large and dangerous; however, as most had come to realize, he was more a teddy bear than other other type of the species. The people had obviously picked up on this.

Jake jumped at the sound of his name being called from the other side of the curtain. Alec patted his friend on the back and smiled reassuringly as they walked out onto the stage

The crowd cheered as they entered and Jake's nerves settled a little at the sentiment. The two men waved at the audience. Alec was smiling, but his body had gone tense, his eyes searching the crowd for what his instincts had told him. Up in the rafters of the room, he saw the glint of light reflecting off of metal and the small red pinpoint of a laser.

"Everybody down!" he yelled, his body springing into action, pulling Jake down to the floor. Just seconds later a bullet entered Alec's shoulder.

"Gahh! Why the shoulder? It's always the damn shoulder!" he cursed. He looked back up to where the sniper had been. He was gone. "Dammit!"

He warily pulled himself to his feet, still keeping his body in front of Jake's. Max rushed to his side from out of nowhere.

"I lost the bastard. I noticed him a little before you did and tried to get to him. He took the shot and ran. Got lost in all the damn crowd. You okay?" Anger and concern flooded her deep brown eyes, even as she shared a look with Jake and they both mouthed "I'm always alright."

"Yeah, I'm always alright." Max and Jake smiled softly, rolling their eyes. "Jake, you alright?"

"More fine that you," Jake said, pointing at Alec's shoulder.

"You and that shoulder," Max said, smiling slightly. She touched his shoulder gingerly, eying the damage. "At least it went straight through."

"Yeah, lucky me," he responded, the sarcasm dripping from his voice. "Ow! he yelped when Max prodded the wound.

"Oh, shut-up you big baby. That's gonna need cauterized." Alec looked at her with what could only be described as pure horror as she pulled out a knife.

"Oh no! You are _so_ not doing that again."

"Alec, that was 5 years ago! I'm not trying to cause you pain now, like I was then."

"Ha! Tell that to my back!" he retorted, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Jake tried futilely to hold back a laugh at the innuendo. Max barely stopped herself from smacking him on the shoulder. She settled for cuffing him on the back of the head.

"How many times have I told you that publically announcing details of our sex life is terrible for your health?"

"I don't know. I don't remember you ever saying that. I was probably suffering from a concussion," Alec remarked, exaggeratedly rubbing his head. Max rolled her eyes, but couldn't stop the smile that formed on her lips.

"Come on, let's go talk to security. See if we can get some camera footage of the shooter."

The crowd had long been evacuated and Alec's wounds treated. Max, Alec and Jake were sitting with cops and security guards in the empty room.

"Who would want to assassinate Jake?" a rather plump officer named Gerald Dante asked them.

"Any of the dozen or so transgenic-hating groups out there. Just because most of the country has come to their senses, doesn't mean there aren't still a few fringe idiots,' Max replied.

"Well, we'll just have to do some background checks and some good ole' detective work. In the meantime, we'll keep a couple of bodyguards with the council member at all times. I'm so sorry for this-" Dante was interrupted by a frantic Dix who was rushing over with his laptop.

"Max, Alec, I think you'll want to see this," the transhuman said, pushing a couple of keys on the laptop. A video started.

"What's this?" Alec asked, staring at the screen.

"It's video footage from one of the security cams. See..watch here," Dix said, pushing a few more keys.

Max watched as Alec and Jake came onto the stage in the video. Her eyes widened as she saw the red dot that hovered over Jake's chest for a second, then quickly went to rest over Alec's heart.

"What the hell?" she whispered.

Dix turned to Alec and spoke. "Jake wasn't the target. You were."

Alec had been silent while watching the footage. He had been sure that Jake was the target. He was the one who was going in the spotlight now, after all. Turning to the officer, he said, "Make sure the press reports that it was an attempt to assassinate the newest transgenic council member."

Max nodded. "We don't want whoever's behind this to tip to the fact we know what really went down. It will be easier to catch them this way. They might not make another attempt-" Her eyes widened as she realized what Alec was probably intending. "Oh, you are soo not being bait!"

"Max, we'll talk about that later."

"No, we'll talk about this now! You aren't gonna-" Max yelled until Dix interrupted her.

"You two can continue with the foreplay later," he stated, unaware of the glare he was receiving from her and the cocky smirk from Alec. "I haven't watched it all yet, we might be able to see this guy's face." He turned the computer to face them again.

The camera panned to the area where the shooter was lurking. The footage they were watching was obviously from after the shot had been taken; there was still a slight film of smoke in the air. The would-be assassin's face was obscured by the shadows created by the rafters. As he lifted his arm to disassemble the sniper rifle, the sleeve of his shirt raised up from where it rested at his wrist.

"Damn," Dix exclaimed. "I thought we could see his face there..let me try-"

"No, wait. Dix, pause it here and enhance the picture there," Max said, pointing at the sniper's bared arm.

Max couldn't believe what she thought she was seeing. Dix quizzically raised his eyebrows, but complied. Realization dawned on him hard as his fellow transgenics cursed under their breath. There it was. The caduceus; the symbol all familiars wore. Then, Dix yelped as the video returned to normal play after being paused for so long. After enhancing the feed, most of the shadows were gone and the shooter's face could be seen. The face every transgenic knew, feared and loathed.

"That's impossible," Max said in disbelief as she stared into the cold eyes of the man on the screen.

"When are you going to realize, Maxie, that when it comes to our lives, nothing is impossible?" Alec half joked. "Especially the stuff that makes our lives hell."

"Yeah, but coming back from the dead? That's _really_ impossible."

"You do see the irony in that statement, right?" Alec asked, saying what everyone was thinking. "You died and came back, Zack died and came back. It's like the theme in our lives."

Max sighed in frustration and shook her head. "It's not the same. You don't come back from _that_. We both saw him die."

"I know we did," Alec said, putting his good arm around her and pulling her close. Just like their feline counterparts, touch was what they needed for comfort. "But somehow, White is back."

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Please R&R :) 


	3. Home Decorating

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

_Sequel to A Light in the Dark_

Chapter 3: Home Decorating

"I can't believe you coudln't take him out."

"That damn animal DNA. He knew there was danger. Probably smelled it. Freak. It was a fluke. I won't miss next time."

"See that you don't. Or no deal."

"Fine. You'll be hearing from me soon, Mr. Cale."

Ames White hung up the phone and smirked. Humans were so predictable.

* * *

Tension was high in Terminal City a week after the election. In the time it took for one gun shot to sound, all the citizens of the city had lost their carefree attitudes. It was like the entire city had gone back in time to the seige. Everyone was looking over their shoulder, not associating much with the ordinaries; however, most of the citizens were worried about thier council representative. Only a select few knew that they had much bigger problems.

Alec paced in the apartment he and Max shared. Max refused to let him leave unless she left with him, or unless he took two bodyguards. Normally he wouldn't have a problem with staying in the apartment all day and night with Max, it was the principle of the thing. Now that he couldn't leave, he didn't want to stay.

"Alec, you're gonna fall right through the floor with all that pacing. Pick up one of my nervous habits?" Max asked as she stepped out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel. A small one. Alec stilled in his tracks as he saw the gorgeous woman in front of him, her hair dripping water droplets down her olive skin. No matter how many times he saw her like this, he always ended up breathless.

"You're perfect," he said, looking at her appreciatively.

"I know." she walked over to the bed, letting go of the towel. Before it had a chace to pool at her feet, Alec was behind her holding her. He kissed her neck lightly, nipping at the soft skin. She turned her head to capture his lips with her own. She leaned into him and moaned as one of his hands traced down her shoulder to he side. Just the barest touch of his fingers and she was shivering in anticipation.

"Oh!" Joshua yelped, immediately covering his eyes. The two transgenics hadn't even heard him come in. "Max, Alec stop gettin' busy. Find new plan." He turned away from the sight before him. "Joshua has something important..."

Max's face had turned a bright shade of pink, and upon noticing this, Alec had pointed and laughed.

"Shut-up pretty boy. One of us has to be modest. God knows you aren't." Shey smacked him on the chest, sending him back a few steps. Her clothes were already set out on the bed and she quickly threw on the baggy black cargo pants and -surprise- black tank top.

"I'm hurt, Max. Really." Alec mockingly clutched a hand to his chest, over his heart.

"Not yet, you aren't." She pulled her hair up into a loose knot as she walked over to Joshua. "Sorry, big fella. Maybe knock next time?"

Joshua turned around while nodding emphatically. "Joshua knock next time. Don't want to see Max and Alec gettin' busy again. Virgin eyes." Max laughed and Alec looked at him in shock.

"Who taught you that?"

"Mole. Mole said 'Stop that you two. My poor virgin eyes.'" Max rolled her eyes as Alec chuckled. That had been Mole's response to walking in on Max and Alec kissing in HQ.

"Figures. What was so important, Josh?" Alec asked.

"Joshua heard noise last night. Strange. From here," he replied, gesturing to the apartment.

Alec couldn't resist. "Oh, Joshua. That's just Max's way of saying I'm doing a good job-Ow!" Max cuffed him on the back of the head. "One of these days I'm going to get permanent brain damage. What then?" he said in mock fury.

"Can't hurt. Might help," Max said, smiling devilishly.

"Guys, Joshua talking now!" At the urgent tone in their friend's voice they went silent. "I heard noise then, and hear it now. Never noticed before. Too loud," he explained, glaring at his two friends. "Alec, pick up your dirty towels. Max how many pairs of shoes do you need. No wonder I didn't hear it!" Max glared at Alec.

"He learned that from you."

Alec smiled. "Learned what?"

"Sarcasm."

"Guys! Noise..." he whispered.

"I don't hear anything, Joshua. Are-" She broke off as the grasped what he was telling them. "It's in the upper registers, then," she whispered. Alec nodded as did Joshua.

"Ultrasonic. A signal?" Alec ventured loudly, looking at Joshua.

"Alec, there's a reason I'm whispering. There's nothing in the apartment that could give off high frequency signals. Nothing _we_ put in here, anyway."

"Shit. A bug? How'd you know Joshua?" Alec said, realizing his friend had started whispering long before they did.

"Joshua not stupid," he said. As if that explained everything.

"Where?" Max mouthed, not wanting to risk being overheard.

Alec pointed in the same direction Joshua did-only two seconds earlier. Max eyed him questioningly.

"When did we get an air freshener? I don't remember redecorating," he whispered extra low. Max nodded, understanding. These days air fresheners were very expensive, not to mention sometimes overpowering to the transgenics' keen sense of smell. If they didn't smell anything, that wans't an air freshener.

When Joshua got close to the "air freshener" he clasped his hands over his ears. He pointed to the device and mimed picking it up and slamming it against the wall. Max and Alec had to suppress a chuckles, then Max shook her head. Joshua growled a tthe device before waling back over to his friends.

"Thanks Joshua, for telling us about the X7 situation. Much appreciated." Alec winked.

"No problem, medium fella, little fella. Should Joshua stay to help?"

"Naw, I think Max and I can handle it." He patted Joshua on the back and then leaned in close to whisper in his ear. "Look outside from your window for anything suspicious. Whoever's listening isn't far. Short-range bug." Joshua nodded and left the room after hugging Max.

"So who do you think could be responsible for the...X7 problem?" Max asked, sitting down on a stool at the kitchen counter, trying to keep up the story.

"One of two people. I think you know which two," Alec responded, coming over to sit with Max, putting an arm around her.

"The one with too much snake in his cocktail, but who's the other?" Max wasn't sure she wanted to hear the answer to that.

"The one with too much ass-I mean rat-in his cocktail." Max almost laughed.

"What do you say we talk about this later? Let's go for a ride." She couldn't stand being in this apartment anymore. Thinking about someone listening to them talk and do tother things made her shudder.

"No problem. Let's go. I think I know just the place."

* * *

'I am so bored. If they aren't talking about stupid boring transgenic crap, they're arguing or they're...no...don't go there.' Logan made it a point to pretend that, even though he'd _heard_ differently, Max and Alec didn't have sex. Every night. For hours.

He had been slightly worried at the silence and mention of something ultrasonic after Joshua's arrival, but he'd paaed it off as a temporarily bad reception. They were talking about the X7s so ultrasonic made sense.

'Great, they're leaving. That means in a little while I can go too.' He would send someone else to monitor the apartment. He had a very important meeting at 9:00...one that would hopefully change everything. Then tomorrow, it would be time to make his grand entrance.

* * *

Max closed her eyes and leaned into the warmth of the body next to her. The wind whipped at the couple, as if warning them that one false move would put them at its mercy. Max hand't been here, on top of the space needle, since she'd found out about Seth from Logan. It had been too painful. The reminder of Seth having died here brought memories of Ben as well.

But she knew why Alec had brought her here. He knew this place was hers, theirs and wanted her to have good memories to associate with it. The fact that the wind made it nearly impossible to plant a bug and hear anything was also a factor.

"Alec. Which one of them do you think it is? I mean...Logan doesn't have motive, not after this long. And White-he's supposed to be dead. Josh tore his head off for God's sake."

"I don't know, Maxie."

"Wow. Are you in any pain? 'Cause I know that had to hurt."

"What? Oh...smart ass. A wise man knows that he knows nothing," Alec retorted, grinning.

"Then you must be extraordinarily wise, huh?" Alec glared at her, the laughter in his eyes telling her he wasn't angry. He placed a chaste kiss on her forehead and sighed.

"Truth is Maxie, you don't give yourself enough credit. If you left me for a more talented, much better looking man-not that that's possible-" he paued to throw a cocky grin in her direction. "I wouldn't be near over you, even after four years. It's possible that Logan planted the bug. But I'm thinking that since White was my would-be executioner, he's the more likely suspect." He felt Max's body tense at the mention of the attempt on his life. He tried to soothe her, running a hand across her back in circles.

"I love you, Alec. I don't think I could bear it if-"

"I love you too, Maxie. Don't worry. I'm hard as hell to kill. You know that."

"I believe you for now. Let's just enjoy the view, okay?" Max nodded and nuzzled closer to alec, looking out over the skyline. From here it looked so deceivingly peaceful. They let themselves believe the lie for just a little while longer.

* * *

Joshua hovered at his window, seemingly very focused on the painting in front of him. And he was. In a way.

A black van sat across fromt he apartment bulding in an alley. Joshua could barely see it from this high up, which meant that it was probably near invisible fromthe street. Joshua stepped back from the painting he'd just finished; the van, complete with license plate. He grabbed the phone as he saw the van pull away.

"Alec. Saw something suspicious. Come see."

Joshua eyed the painting apprasingly, then gave himself a pat on the back. he sat down in his recliner and waited for Max and Alec to come home.

* * *

"That's what you saw? How cliche," Max joked.

"Oh yeah. It's so original. How could we have missed that?" Alec mentally banged his head on the table. 'I must be slippin',' he thought.

"We'll get Dix to try to trace it with the plates. I'll get a team to scope out the alley, too, strictly on the DL. No use lettin' anyone tip to the fact we know they're listenin'." Max announced.

"You've been hangin' with OC too much. Boo." All three laughed. "We'll do all that in the morning. I have plans for us tonight." Alec grinned and suggestively raised an eyebrow.

"Alec!" She yelled. Then, lowering her voice to a whisper, "They. Can. Hear. Us." She emphasized each word menacingly.

"Oh, come on Maxie. You know you've always wanted to do it in a public place." He immediately raised his arms to fend of an attack. But it never came.

"Now that you mention it," she purred. Alec's mouth gaped open and his eyes widened.

"Really?" he managed to sputter. Max burst out in laughter.

"You're soo easy." With that she sauntered out of the apartment, leaving Alec to stare in disbelief.

"Women," he told Joshua and went to follow her.

* * *

4 hours later

"What else these transgenics got in their DNA 'sides feline? Rabbit?" the young man who'd come to relieve Logan of watch said to himself. Moans and screams filled his headset. 'It's gonna be a long night.'

* * *

Lemme know what you thought :) Email: or review me at Gumboot Mafia under my pen name "His Vampira." Thanks :) 


	4. Welcome Back?

A/N: An asterisk () denotes an Author's Note of explanation at the bottom.

* * *

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

_Sequel to A Light in the Dark_

Chapter 4: Welcome Back?

In the headquarters of Terminal City stood Alec, Max, Mole, Joshua, Dix, and Jake, all eyes focused on the computer in front of them. Alec and Max had come to Dix as soon as they had gotten up that morning, to tell him about the bug and their black mystery van.

"This is computer feed from the camera close to your building," explained Dix. Turning to Joshua, he said, "How long ago did you hear the device?"

The dog-man shook his head. "Last night was first time. Heard small high noises before, but thought it was...how medium fella say? Max telling Alec 'good job.'" Mole laughed openly, unconsciously moving farther away from the now infuriated brunette. Dix, as impossible as it may seem, turned bright red.

"Dammit Alec!" Max exclaimed, punching Alec on the shoulder.

"What?" Alec's voice was serious, but his eyes were glinting with bottled laughter.

Max glared at Alec, then at Mole who was still laughing around his always present cigar.

"You guys are better than tv, honestly," Mole said to the couple. "Just as entertaining, but free. Someone remind me to bring popcorn next time."

"You bring popcorn and you'll be wearing it," Max warned.

"Well," Dix interjected loudly. "Back to the question at hand...let's see if we can't go back a week and time lapse the footage. Maybe we'll get lucky. His fingers clicked away rapidly on the keyboard of the computer and the footage started to speed up.

"Hey look at that," Max said, pointing to the screen. "It's our mystery van."

"Any way to enhance it so we can see who's driving?" Alec asked.

"No, footage is too dark and grainy. Angle's all wrong, too," Dix replied absently. "But look there, someone's getting out. _That_ I can enhance."

Once the picture was as clear as it was going to get, Dix asked, "Anyone recognize him?"

"No, I don't know him," Max replied, disappointed. She turned to Alec in hope.

"Neither do I," he said, shaking his head. No one else knew the mystery man either.

"Well, let me...What the hell!" Dix exclaimed as several gunshots rang out somewhere in the city.

He quickly pulled up the feed from several cameras and saw a man running out from behind the mess hall. The man was holding his arm, a dark stain rapidly appearing beneath his hand.

"He's coming straight for HQ. Must be a transgenic."

"Or a bad dream," Alec muttered as he recognized the trademark scruffy face and spiked hair of the man on the screen.

Max looked at him questioningly and then looked back at the screen.

"Well shit. They missed." Mole had recognized the injured man as well, apparently.

"Guess we should go get him." Max was already heading out the door as she spoke.

"Yeah, time to save his ass again," Alec commented, his hands unconsciously balling into fists at his sides. 'Talk about bad timing,' he thought.

After the couple was out the door, Jake, Joshua, and Dix all turned their gazes to Mole. He was frowning harder that was even usual for _him_. There were very few people who could elicit this kind of a response from the lizard-man. And only one that would make Alec so angry by just showing up. They needed confirmation anyways, and Dix was the one who asked.

"Who is it?"

"The one and only Eyes Only."

* * *

Max and Alec crept carefully towards the area in which Logan had last been seen. Neither knew what to expect, but obviously whatever it was wasn't friendly. Alec smirked at the thought. 'Or, maybe they are friendly. After all, they shot him didn't they?' 

As they rounded the corner of a building, they saw him, sitting on the ground with his back against a wall. Max brought her hand up by her head, two fingers extended, and motioned in Logan's direction. She was falling back on her Manticore training without even realizing it.

"Ooh, I love it when you go all in charge commandery," Alec whispered before he followed her directions. This elicited a small smile and a shake of the head from her before she followed behind him.

"Thank God you guys came!" Logan said, a little loudly. Max and Alec glared at him.

"Well all the sneak and creep we did was just wasted," Alec spat, grabbing one of Logan's shoulders after glaring at him.

"Sorry," Logan whispered. He hadn't truthfully thought of being quiet. Why should he? 'I just hope this gunshot is convincing enough. It sure _hurts_ convincingly enough,' he thought.

Max wordlessly grabbed his other shoulder and the man cried out in pain. She adjusted her grip, but didn't utter a word in apology. In fact, not one of the three spoke until they had reached headquarters.

'Oh, I'm so glad the virus is cured. Now she can physically injure me personally,' Logan thought bitterly as he was roughly placed into a seat in headquarters by Max.

"So I have a few questions for you now," Alec asked. His tone was light, but his face was stone cold. He was going to treat this like an interrogation, Manticore style, until he was convinced he had a reason not to.

Logan nodded, but asked, "Can I get this looked at first?" He gestured to his shoulder, which was now bleeding profusely.

"During," Max said shortly. "Lena, go get one of the med-techs," she directed to a slender blonde. Lena nodded and quickly went to comply. Even after all this time, Max could tell she'd had to fight the urge to salute.

There was a long pause, each of the three staring at one another. Max stole side-long glances at Alec, who always smiled reassuringly before turning to glare at Logan. Alec was the first to break the silence.

"So...let's start with how you managed to get shot in the middle of my city."

Logan quickly recapped what he'd rehearsed before he spoke. "I was coming to warn Max...to warn you both. I heard about the attempt on Jake's life, I wanted to help. So I got a hold of some camera footage and discovered something...disconcerting."

Max rolled her eyes almost imperceptibly. 'Was he always this high and mighty? Who the hell uses 'disconcerting' in normal conversation?' she thought.

"And what exactly did you find that was so...disconcerting?" Alec asked, barely able to hide his amusement. Max wasn't so lucky. She stifled a laugh with a cough. Alec smiled.

"I know this is very hard to believe, I mean he's supposed to be dead. But...Ames White was there. He's the one that made the shot. And he was aiming for Alec, not Jake," Logan finished, extremely pleased with himself. Max couldn't help it. She dissolved into laughter, laughing so hard she thought she would fall over.

"I don't see anything funny about this, Max," Logan stated indignantly. "You need to get serious. White is alive and tried to kill Alec." Now Alec was laughing too. "What's so damned funny?"

"It's just...we...already...oh man this is too good. You got...yourself shot for...nothing," Mole managed to squeeze out between laughs.

"What do you mean?" Logan glared at the lizard-man confusedly. It was no secret there was extreme animosity between the two of them. 'They're _laughing_ at me!' he thought angrily.

Max cleared her throat and tried to gain her composure. "We already knew all of this. We got the same footage the same day it happened. We've known all along."

"And _me_ getting shot is funny why?" he bristled.

"Well, Logan, you getting injured in any way is just all around funny to begin with. But you managed to make an ass out of yourself while doing it...and damn...that's so much better," Mole explained, big smile cracking around his cigar.

"Mole, behave," teased Joshua. He didn't really much care for Logan either. He'd hurt Max too often.

"So what you're telling me, is that I risked my life to give you information to help you, I got _shot_, and because you already knew and didn't have the common decency to _tell_ me, you laugh at me?"

All the transgenics in the room turned to each other, sharing knowing glances. "Yeah, that pretty much sums it up," Alec stated.

"Yup," Mole said.

Even Max nodded. "Why would we tell you this? You haven't been in contact with us for about...4 years is it now? Why would we suddenly call you in on this? You left."

"Why would you...? Max, you guys _need_ me!" Logan couldn't believe his ears. This was _not_ going according to plan.

"Need you? We haven't _ever_ needed you. We didn't when you were here, and we haven't since you've been gone. I'm sorry you got hurt trying to help us, but we don't need you now either."

Alec was in shock. In all the years he'd known Max, never had she spoken to Logan like that. Granted, Logan hadn't been around for most of the years that he'd known Max, but still. 'This is great,' he thought, grinning.

"Okay, alright. That's enough. Back on topic; who shot you, Logan?" As much as he loved seeing Logan sputter, unable to come up with anything condescending to say, Alec needed to know what had happened.

"Familiars. White's men. They were following me, because I found something else. Something I'm almost certain you _don't_ know...couldn't know." Didn't need him? He'd show them. They'd be begging for his help.

"What do you know?" Max asked commandingly.

Logan faltered. He'd never heard her so demanding before. She'd obviously grown as a leader since the siege. "I...I found an abandoned warehouse in Yakima. White has a set-up there. The Familiars are planning something. Something big. Again. Only this time I don't think they expect a comet to do it for them."

This raised a few eyebrows. Max turned to Alec who was already staring at her. "Do you think we should...?" she began.

"Already done," Alec replied. He used the Manticore hand signals to tell Jake to assemble two units to keep watch around headquarters and two more to do recon around the area Logan was seen. He even gave orders for a team to be placed around their apartment building.

Max smiled at the last order. There was no need for that, and Jake knew it. She'd given that order the minute they'd gotten home from the botched press conference. Only she'd made it for _two_ teams.

Turning quickly back to Logan, Max decided that it was her turn to do some interrogating. "Okay, I wanna know the when, where, how, and why. I would also appreciate hearing you explain why, if you wanted to help, you came here knowing that Familiars were following you." Max settled into a chair across from him. Noticing that Lena had come back with two med-techs, she motioned for them to come over and attend to Logans wound.

He cried out as a dark haired transgenic pulled off his jacket none to gently. 'Oh man, this is gonna be a long day,' Max thought, dropping her head into her hands as she listened to the shouts of pain coming from the man in front of her. She didn't notice the open look of glee that the love of her life wore as he watched Logan wriggle and whine under the med-techs ministrations. But as content as he was in this moment, Alec couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Terribly wrong.

* * *

**To be continued...**

_

* * *

_

A/N 1: The virus was cured through events described in the official Dark Angel book Skin Games by Max Collins, and explained in the book After the Dark. I guess for any of you who didn't read the books, all you really need to know is that the virus is no more. Not that it makes any difference in my world.

A/N 2: Yakima is a city in Washington...my geography is horrible, but I guess I just wanted you guys to know that it's still in Washington...not in another state...

A/N 3: "The Familiars are planning something. Something big. Again. Only this time I don't think they expect a comet to do it for them." In the book, After the Dark in reference to "The Coming." The Familiars believed that a comet that was going to pass close to Earth held a virus that would wipe out all humans. They're belief was proven wrong, however, when the comet passed by and not a damn thing happened.

Review me? Please?


	5. The Eyes Have It

**The Light at the End of the Tunnel**

**Sequel to A Light in the Dark**

**_Chapter Five: The Eyes Have It_**

Logan laid down gingerly on the bed the oh-so-grateful transgenics had furnished him with, in what looked suspiciously like a storage closet. His shoulder hurt like hell. Those med-techs had been none to gentle with his arm. Max had called him a baby. Max, the one person who he'd expected to be understanding and caring, had made fun of him. He looked around him, eyes exploring the small claustraphobia-inducing "room" he was in. There was a series of shelves on one wall, and in the corner, an object which Logan had to strain his human eyes to make out. 'A broom,' he thought. Yep, definitely a closet.

He still couldn't believe the reception he'd received. Everyone who'd been present in headquarters had laughed at him. At least since the matter was confidential, no one else could laugh at him about getting shot "for nothing." No, instead, it seemed everyone in TC was doing just fine with finding their own reasons to laugh at him.

There was an upside, however. They had believed him. Despite their...less than hospitible mannerisms, his plan had worked. Of course, they were going to send recon teams ahead to the warehouse to make sure that it was something worth going after. And of course it would be. Logan and his partner had seen to that. The truth made such a powerful weapon.

Logan drifted off to sleep, dreaming of the way things would be. The way they should be.

* * *

"I just don't trust him!"

"But that's-"

"I don't trust him, Max! I know that you and he-"

"Dammit, Alec! Listen to me for one damn second, would you? I. Don't. Trust. Him. Either!" Alec looked at the angry brunnette, a look of shock on his face.

"I've been trying to tell you that for the last half hour. But everytime I opened my mouth, you thought it was to defend his honour. If I trusted him completely, would I have set up recon teams to go in and check out the warehouse?" Max sighed heavily and threw herself down on the couch in the rec-room.

"Okay..well...I don't trust him simply because that's my nature. And he had you first." Max couldn't help but smile at his logic, despite the fact that she was frustrated with him. But then again, when wasn't she? "But why don't you trust him," Alec asked.

"Oh come on, Alec. He was acting shady since he got here. We were trained to see that."

"True enough. But I just thought it was my overly jeal-...zealous imagination?" Alec stammered.

"Zealous, huh?" Max said while putting on one of Alec's trademark smirks. You sure that 'z' shouldn't be a 'j'...you know...like it was originally?"

"I'm not a jealous person," Alec stated simply enough, trying to keep his hands from fidgeting.

"HA! Now that's funny. What about Dade?" she asked, still smirking at him. She motioned for him to come sit next to her on the couch.

"What about him?" Alec knew he'd already lost.

"You know, Dade. The guy who bumped into me on the stairs in our building. I fell down, he helped me up. Got a broken nose as payment for his chivalry."

"He was flirting. And tried to cop a feel."

"You're so full of it. You're lucky I love you, or I'd have to kick your ass for your bullshit," she joked, cuddling up to his side.

"Well, that never stopped you from _trying_ to kick my ass before."

"I see your point." Max lightly whacked him in the back of the head. Alec hooked his arm around Max's small frame and pulled her closer to him. Their lips brushed together softly. A deliberate cough shattered the tender moment. Alec glanced up long enough to see that it was Logan. He smiled mischievously as his lips captured Max's in a much more intense version of their previous kiss. Max was puzzled, then content, until realization occured as she heard the soft whirring of mechanical motors behind her.

"That wasn't nice, Alec," she whispered as she pulled away.

"I disagree. I thought it was _very_ nice." Alec raised an suggestive eyebrow.

"You know what I meant," she responded, unable to quell the smile that forced its way to her lips.

"And I meant what I said. In both respects." Alec raised himself gracefully off the couch, pulling Max up with him. They turned to face Logan, who was standing rather patiently. His face betrayed nothing, neither did the way he carried himself. But one look into his eyes showed the truth. The eyes truly are the windows to the soul, and this particular soul was very pissed off.

"Sorry, Logan, We didn't hear ya come in, buddy." Alec knew full well that Logan wouldn't believe that. He knew first hand how good transgenic hearing was.

"It's alright. I went to HQ looking for you," Logan replied, avoiding Alec's gaze. It was obvious that Alec was _not_ the person he'd been looking for, unless that old wives tale about how you start to look like the person you live with after a while was true. "Mole said I could probably find you here. Playing pool." Alec had to fight the laugh that threatened to emerge as Logan's expression showed that he'd already scanned this room and had seen no pool table. Mole knew they'd moved the pool table closer to HQ.

Alec chuckled low, knowing only Max could hear him. 'That scaly bastard was probably hoping Motor Legs would stumble across us in exactly...no in a worse situation than he did. I knew I loved that guy,' Alec thought. Logan's long absence from TC had not made Mole more fond of him, that's for sure. Max subtly elbowed the chuckling transgenic beside her.

"So what'd you want?" Max asked, smiling.

"Just to see what the recon team found."

"They're not back yet. Should be any time now though," Alec replied.

"Oh, okay," Logan said, resigned. "I'm bored out of my mind. Dix won't let me near the computer. Say, you guys wanna play pool?" Logan looked around the room exaggeratedly. Alec rolled his eyes.

"Mole must've forgotten that we moved the pool table closer to HQ," Max offered quickly.

"Oh...well, we could go over there and play." Logan smiled. Alec was reminded of the Cheshire Cat. He chuckled again, not so quietly this time. Max didn't even bother to elbow him this time.

"Why not? That way we'll be closer to HQ when the recon team calls in," Max suggested. 'Men,' she thought to herself. 'Human or non, they're all the same. Not jealous, my ass.'

* * *

As she sipped her beer (pre-pulse, a gift to her and Alec, courtesy of who else but Logan), Max watched in amusement from her seat at the makeshift bar as the two men lined up shot after shot, missing infrequently. Grimacing at the odd taste of the pre-pulse beer, she couldn't help notice the tension in the room that almost visibly emanated from the players. She also found herself noticing how his jeals clung to choice areas of his anatomy when he bent over to line up his shot. And the way the muscles in his back rippled when he pulled the pool cue back and then forward into the cue ball. Then she noticed the way a single bead of sweat dripped down his neck and disappeared beneath his sweater...'Sweater!' she mentally screamed. "Shit, shit, SHIT!"

Alec was wearing a black t-shirt and cargo pants...and was on the opposite side of the table. _Logan_ was wearing a green sweater and jeans.

It wasn't until she saw that everyone in the room was staring at her that she realized she'd said the last part of her mental rant out loud. Alec looked at her hungrily. His eyes then darted quickly around the room, searching for the cause of her distress. When his eyes met those of every other transgenic male in the room, he saw that very same hunger.

"Shit!" he exclaimed as realization dawned on him. "Max! Let's go. Now!" Alec said as he went over to a suddenly ready and waiting Max and pulled her out of her seat. He grabbed her hand and began leading her out of the room, hoping the males would be smart enough to stay away. 'How the hell did I miss this? I should've known days ago. It's like she's skipped all the stages and gone straight into full blown Heat.' During his musings, Max had plastered herself to his side, trying desperately to nip at his neck with every step they took.

And there were several males following them down the hallway. Logan included.

"What the hell is going on?" the ordinary asked loudly from behind the now speed-walking couple.

"Just shut-up and back the hell off. Now!" Alec yelled, not knowing which had the greater influence on him right then; his dislike of the man or his animal instincts. Probably neither one helped the other. He had to keep Max away from all other males, Logan most of all. At the harshness of his tone, it seemed as though the other males were momentarily brought to their senses; they turned tail and ran. Except for Logan. 'Figures,' Alec thought bitterly.

"No! What is going on? Max said something a long time ago about...her feline DNA causing her to..." Logan trailed off as if embarrassed to discuss this particular topic.

"What Logan? What? Go into Heat? Want to jump every guy in sight?" If Logan didn't leave soon, Alec was really going to lose his temper.

"Um..yeah. Is that what's happening?" They were outside the doors now and headed to Alec and Max's apartment building.

"Yes, that's what's happening. Congratulations, you get a gold star," Alec bit off. 'And my foot up your ass if you get any closer to Max,' he added silently as Logan began edging closer to a now frowning Max.

"It didn't look like she wanted to jump every guy in sight. It looked like they wanted to jump her."

"That's in the genetics, too," Alec explained simply. He did not have time for this.

"So the males are affected by what?" Logan asked. If he knew how close he was to being thrown across the street into the nearest wall, he would've run. But he didn't know, so he came a little closer to Max.

"Aleeeec, why aren't you paying attention to me?" Max asked. She'd been trying to nibble on his neck, and her hands were roaming all sorts of wonderful places, but Alec had to keep his head clear.

"Max, I need to be able to think right now. We'll fix it in a few minutes." Without even looking at Logan, Alec answered his question. "Pheramones. Females in heat release very large doses of pheramones. It kind of...brings out the animal in us."

"Oh...I see. So..." Logan had moved a little too close. Max had apparently decided she couldn't wait a few minutes. She ripped herself away from Alec and literally tacked Logan to the ground. "Oh my!" Logan yelped as Max mercilessly attacked his neck with lips and teeth. (A/N:shudder:)

Alec growled, feral glint in his eye. He grabbed Max's shoulders and pulled her off of the man on the ground, who wasn't really making much of an attempt to fight her off. _Threat. Mine_. Alec's instincts went into overdrive, and it took all the willpower he had not to kill Logan right there. "Logan. Go. Back. To. HQ. Now," he spat, hugging Max to him tightly.

Alec didn't look back to see if Logan had complied. He simply blurred with Max to their apartment building and up the stairs to their apartment, not even stopping to lock the door. If he'd looked back he would've seen the smug grin on Logan's face as he picked himself up off the ground.

"Logan...I heard about what happened. Um...we have a bit of a problem. The recon teams reported in and well...you were right. They found the Familiars at the warehouse, and they have some kind of bio-weapon there. They heard the familiars talking...about how White was stepping up the plan to the night after tomorrow. We need to do something like...yesterday. And well... you see...Alec and Max are supposed to lead the teams that go in for a little search and destroy at that warehouse...and since Max obviously can't go...it's just going to be Alec, and...well...none of us can go get him at the moment...any male would fight him for Max and any female Max would see as a threat...so...that kind of leaves you." Dix hadn't seemed to breathe at all during all of his rambling.

Logan put his hands up defensively. "Oh no. Alec would kill me. Max already...got impatient with him actually trying to keep a clear head and all...and kind of...jumped me...literally. He had to pull her off me and then he ordered me to come back here. No way am I going back there..."

"But you have to. You can talk through the door, if you want, until he comes to his senses...more or less," Dix pleaded. If anyone had told him he'd ever be asking Logan to do anything but leave his computer alone, he'd have told them to go admit themselves into the infirmiry. But there weren't any other options.

"Fine. But if I die, I blame you." Logan left HQ quickly, hoping to get to the apartment before Max and Alec's situation had...escalated too far. As soon as he stepped outside the building, he took out his cellphone and dialed a number. "It's me. Yes, it's done...exactly as planned. Thanks for that little wonder pill, by the way. It worked like a charm. Yeah...Fen-o-whatever to you too."

Logan slipped the phone into his pocket and ran the rest of the way to his destination, leaving him wheezing at the door to the couple's apartment.

He banged his fist on the door and winced as the movement sent a twinge of pain through his arm. "Alec! Dix sent me to get you. You're needed in HQ now. The recon teams reported in and..." Before the rest of the words were out of his mouth, the door had opened and a half-naked Alec was standing in its place.

"Now's really not a good time," Alec growled.

"Yeah, I'll bet," Logan muttered. "Listen...Dix told me that the teams heard the familiars talking about releasing a bio-weapon the night after tomorrow. The search and destroy teams are going _tonight_ and you have to lead them."

"Shit. Max is gonna kill me," Alec said, his senses slowly returning.

"Yeah...well...handcuff her to the bed or somethin'." Logan winced at the smirk that had appeared on the transgenics face.

"Already done. How do you think I'm out here alone?" Alec's said, smirk still firmly in place.

'Oh yeah, that's what I wanted to hear,' Logan thought.

"Hang on, I'll be right out." Alec turned away from the door and headed into the bedroom. Logan could hear small murmers coming from the room, but couldn't make them out.

Alec leaned over Max and kissed her forehead. "Baby, I'm so sorry. I've gotta go."

"WHAT!" Max screamed. Logan had no trouble hearing that.

"I know you could care less at the moment, but, believe it or not, Logan was telling the truth. The recon teams reported that the familiars are going to launch a bio-weapon day after tomorrow. We've gotta stop them tonight. And you aren't in any shape to go, but I am. I'm sorry. When I get back, I'll make it up to you, I promise." The mention of White and the Familiars must've knocked some sense into Max, because she just nodded.

"I understand. You'd better hurry back," she said, lust filling her voice. "I'll be here waiting for you." She pulled herself up as much as she could while hancuffed to the very strong titanium bars(let it never be said that transgenics don't plan ahead), and planted a passionate kiss on Alec. "Be careful."

"Always," Alec replied, putting another kiss on her forehead. "I'll leave orders with Mole that absolutely no one is to come near this building. I'm fairly confident most will listen." All the transgenics would.

"I love you."

"I love you, too. I'll be back before you know it."

And then Max was left with nothing but her unsatiated desire. And no way to release the energy. 'He could've at least positioned me to where I could do push ups.'

* * *

Alec and Logan headed toward HQ. Everyone was already assembled in their teams and were waiting to be briefed once Alec arrived. With all the commotion of getting plans together and setting out, no one noticed the human slip away from the crowd. Not even Alec.

* * *

A man watched from a high window as several vans headed out of Terminal City's wide front gates. Once the convoy was out of sight, he pulled out a small device and placed it in the lock in the door of the apartment. Stepping back a few feet, he watched with gleaming eyes as a light on the device turned from red to green and the door opened just a crack. Without hesitating, he removed the device and stepped inside the door, locking it behind him.

He stood at the foot of a large bed. A beautiful girl was writhing about on the bed, eyes closed. The way the sheets clung to her, it was obvious she was unclothed. He regarded her with a watchful expression full of many things; awe, lust, but most of all, triumph. The dark beauty took a deep breath and her eyes snapped open as his scent reached her nose.

"My, my, what are _you_ doing here?" she asked huskily. From the sound of her voice, one would be inclined to think she was _very_ happy to see this particular man at the foot of her bed. But her eyes told the truth. Her expression held many things too. Desire and confusion, but her eyes- her eyes were full of fear. As the man smiled and silently began to undress, fear turned to pure terror. Realization hit her like a bullet right through the heart, and her eyes clamped shut. This man, the man she'd once thought she loved, was going to solve her problem. Her body would revel in it, respond to his every touch. But her eyes would not believe the lie her body told her. Her mind would be her instrument, the one that would take here to the one she truly wanted to be with. Her eyes would be the windows to her tortured soul. That is, if she dared to ever open them again.

* * *

Wow...that chapter actually turned out a lot different than I'd planned in my head. It wasn't supposed to be so...dark and depressing. I'd love to know what you thought (love it, hate it, undecided?). 


	6. And Still She Screamed

A/N: Shana, you are the best beta I've ever had, and I owe the coherent-ness of this chapter to you :smooch:

**The Light at the End of the Tunnel**

_Chapter 6: And Still She Screamed_ "Beta team, what's your status?" Alec's voice crackled over the comm units. Trevor chanced a look at his CO. To anyone else, with the possible exception of Max, Alec would've looked calm and focused. Trevor knew better, he'd known Alec too long not to. Alec may be focused, but he wasn't calm. 

"Alpha, we have a visual on the targets. Priority _One_ target is right in my sights," came the response from Brianna, Beta's team leader. The disgust in her voice was obvious. _White_ was priority one.

"Do not engage, repeat, do not engage. We go in nice and stealthy. I don't want them to know we're here until it's too late for them. We need to get that bio agent secured before any personal vendettas get taken care of," Alec ordered. "Besides, White is _mine_." He knew that every one of the transgenics with him had a reason or more to hate Special Agent White. But, in turn, every one of the transgenics knew that Alec had more reasons than anyone except Max. No one argued. "I want radio silence until Charlie team figures out where they've got the bio agent."

"Alec," Trevor ventured after cutting the outgoing feed on his comm. "You okay, man?" He braced himself for Alec's usual response of 'I'm always alright.'

Alec paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts. "I gotta bad feelin', Trev. Like something really major is about to go down."

Trevor nodded simply. It had to be bad if Alec was actually admitting it. "The mission the only thing botherin' you?"

"Max went into heat today." As if that explained it all.

Trevor muttered a low, "Yeah, tell me about it." He'd been one of the males in the room when it had hit her. Oh yeah, he knew.

"Well, that happens occasionally..." Trevor encouraged.

"Yeah, but...I don't know." Alec shook his head, frustrated with himself. "It's just I've got a really bad feeling about this whole situation. It seems so convenient. Logan showing up just in time to give us this perfect opportunity. Max going into heat making it so she can't go on the mission."

"Alec? I got bad news for you," Brianna's voice said in Alec's ear.

"How'd you hear me? Oh shit." Alec frowned as he realized he hadn't followed his own advice about radio silence. Not only that, but he'd just aired out his dirty laundry to 60 troops.

"Yeah, smart move, pretty boy," Brianna retorted, although the usual sarcasm was missing from her voice. "Why don't we move this to a private channel?"

Alec complied. They needed radio silence on the main channel. It wouldn't do for Charlie team to hear about all of his problems and become distracted.

"Okay, what's the bad news this time?" Alec's words seemed flippant on the surface, but beneath it was fear that his instinct had been right.

"Alec, it's too early for Max's Heat. I should know, I had one about the same time she did."

"And?" Alec's fear grew in intensity as he waited for Brianna to respond.

"Are you sure it was really heat?

"Yeah, I think so, why?"

"Because it could have been induced. Has Max come into contact with any strange drugs or anything like that?"

"I don't think so." Alec paused to rack his brain. Suddenly, it was as if everything clicked into place. "Dammit! The drinks! That son of a bitch!"

"What are you talking about?" Brianna was starting to wonder if the stress of leading a nation was finally getting to her CO after all these years.

"Logan. Bought us drinks..." Alec had known Logan couldn't be trusted, but never in all his training-induced skepticism had he ever imagined Logan to be capable of this.

"And he would be just the kind of bastard who would spike them," Brianna commented, piecing it together.

"I knew it was too convenient. He knew we were going on this mission and that I wouldn't be around when he..." Alec cringed, closing his eyes, as if he thought that once he opened them, all of this would've only been a dream. But no, the nightmare was real.

Trevor, hearing only Alec's side of the conversation, had enough sense to figure it out. Then he had an even more alarming thought. "But Logan gave us this intel...does that mean...?" Trevor's voice trailed off as Charlie team's leader, Sean, came over their comms.

"Shit! We've got two wounded, heavy fire. They made us before we could get near the stuff. It's in a utility shed out back...Fuck!"

The sounds of machine gun bursts could be heard over the comm link, and soon were audible without them. Alec quickly and efficiently handed out his orders; "Brianna, take Beta team. Go for the shed and back up Sean." His team was going after the monster himself.

Alec switched his comm link over to the channel used to communicate to base. He needed someone to take care of Max for him, to give his mind a little peace. "Alec to base." There was nothing but static. "Mole?" Still nothing. "Dammit, they must be jamming the signals; I can't reach base."

He glanced at Trevor, conflicted. 'What kind of choice is this? Go save the woman I love, or stay and help my friends fight for their lives?'

Trevor needed only to look at the pain on Alec's face to know the answer. "Alec, we've got it covered."

Alec tipped his head in acknowledgement before he turned and ran as if his life depended on it. But it was worse than that. _Max_ depended on it.

* * *

Max looked up pleadingly at the stubble faced man hovering above her in the bed. She was fighting with everything she had not to give in to him, not to listen to that instinct-driven side of her. She'd had a feeling that Alec had wanted her for his mate, once his City Council position had been relinquished. But after everything that happened with the election, and White, everything had just gotten so messed up. She felt a tear leave a wet trail on her cheek as she realized that now, he might never ask. How could he forgive her for this? How could he ever accept her as his mate when he discovered what she'd done? 

"Max, I've been waiting so long for this. This is how it is supposed to be," Logan said, carressing Max's cheek, oblivious to the tears of regret and fear she was crying. The thought that she might lose the only man she'd ever actually loved was enough to temporarily give control back to the rational side of her.

"This is nothing like it's supposed to be. Logan, please, please don't do this," she begged him. Her body still refused to move, but her mouth was in working order.

"You'll realize, you'll see. After this is over, you'll see that this is what you want. That you made a mistake. He won't want you after this. He'll hate you. But I'll still be here. I'll always be here. But he won't." He leaned in to kiss her, but she turned away. Her anger was building, but there was nothing she could do to release it. She not only was hancuffed, her ankles were cuffed on either side of the bed as well. He had apparently planned this far in advance.

Max opened her mouth, ready to scream for help. She hated this feeling of helplessness, the horrible ache of knowing there is nothing you can do stop what is happening to you. Before she could get out more than a squeak, Logan had pressed his lips to hers.

"Max. Cooperate and it will be so much better for you. It will be better for him too." Logan's eyes were no longer the eyes of a man who's got everything he ever wanted. Now, he wore the face of a man willing to do anything to keep it.

"What do you mean? How could me fucking you be better for Alec!" Logan was still staring at her, but his hands began to roam over her body. Max shivered in disgust at the touch, but the man on top of her took it as a sign of her enjoyment. Max allowed a sliver of hope to enter her heart as she realized her body was no longer reacting to Logan as it had been. Was her fear and anger making the Heat dissipate?

"Right now he is in Familiar territory." Logan's voice dropped to a whisper. "And they know he's coming." Max's eyes widened in fear. "They won't kill him, unless _I_ say so." The rest of the words were left unspoken, but Max understood what he was saying. If she didn't _cooperate_, Logan would give the order, and Alec would die.

The alternative was that she let Logan rape her and Alec get captured by the Familiars. Logan. Rape. She had never thought of those two words in the same sentence. When had things changed so drastically? When had he gone from someone she could trust, to someone she truly feared? One thing was for certain; she did not react well to fear.

Her eyes hardened as she smiled sardonically, suddenly determined. 'I will die before I let _anything_ happen to Alec.' She lifted her head as much as she could and Logan took the invitation. Before his lips could brush hers, she reared back her head and slammed it into his with all her might. The man slumped down on her, knocked unconscious by the blow. Max breathed heavily in relief and waited for the stars to leave her vision. Then, she screamed. A primal cry that held grief, anger, and fear. For Alec, for herself.

She was still screaming when Joshua burst through the locked door of the apartment. The door splintered and crashed to the floor. Joshua lifted the limp man off of her naked form and threw him viciously against the wall, his body bouncing off and crumpling to the floor in a shower of plaster. And still she screamed. Joshua searched the fallen man's body for the keys to the cuffs. He found them and quickly unlocked the cuffs at her ankles. The keys, amazingly, worked on the cuffs around her wrists as well. He carefully brought the sheets up around a trembling Max, and pulled her into an embrace. Her screaming continued and didn't cease until her tears choked her, and she could do nothing but cry.

"Joshua, I- I have to get to Alec. I-it was a set-up." Max pulled herself away from Joshua and picked up her clothes that were strewn on the floor. She inhaled, and then abruptly threw the clothes across the room. They still smelled like Logan. She hurriedly found new clothes and threw them on, her tears beginning to subside. She strapped her knife sheaths onto her ankles and wrists.

"Little Fella be okay?" Joshua asked quietly, putting an huge hand on his friend's tense shoulder.

"I'm always okay, Joshua. Take this," she shuddered with revulsion as she gestured to Logan's limp form, " this - animal - to a holding cell." Her eyes were hard and cold as she looked at Joshua. "Tell the others to send back-up to the warehouse now." She turned to leave, but stopped in mid-stride. She walked purposefully across the room to the bedside table.

Opening the top drawer, she pulled out a hand gun. Max shut her eyes as she felt the cool, hard metal of the pistol in her hand. She gritted her teeth, her knuckles going white as she tightened her grip on the pistol's handle. It was time to push aside her fear. She tucked the weapon into the waistband of her pants. With a small smile of thanks in Joshua's direction, she blurred out of the apartment.

* * *

Alec raced past his team members, closing his ears to the sounds of fighting. He had his own fight waiting for him. He concentrated on his heart-beat, trying to slow it from its heightened pace. 

"494, so glad to see you made it to the party." Alec stopped and turned. He had but a minute to regret sending Beta team to help Sean and the others. It had left him vulnerable and now White was on him.

* * *

Max hurtled down the road on her Ninja, her fury and fear increasing with each roar of the engine. "Hang on, Alec. I'm coming," she whispered.

* * *


	7. Shadow Dance

A/N: I friggin LOVE you Shay! As always, you saved my story :) 

**The Light at the End of the Tunnel**

_Chapter Seven: Shadow Dance_

Sheathed in darkness, a slim figure glided a motorcycle, engine turned off, into an abandoned building. She eased off the machine with fluid feline grace and moved it into the shadows of an awning. 

Dressed all in black and moving with stunning agility, she was shadow. Crossing the floor of the building with inhuman stealth and speed, she made it out of the large building quicker than would seem possible.

Her heart clenched in her chest as the sound of the gunfight ahead reached her sensitive ears. She quickly sent a prayer to whatever higher power was listening as she sped across the field in front of her, lost in a blur of movement. Without stopping or breaking her stride, as she neared her destination, she jumped. Powerful muscles propelled her to the top of the warehouse. She sailed through the air and all traces of her former self left her. There was only her, her prey, and the hunt. It was safer for her this way, taking a cue from her brother and doing away with all the phony sentimentality.

She landed gracefully on the roof of the building and pulled her body into a crouch. She crept to the ledge and peered over, watching the scene beneath her, thrilled by the hunt. Her eyes narrowed in on someone she knew; it wasn't who she was looking for, but the blonde three stories down was in trouble. A man was sneaking up behind her.

_Threat_. She lowered a slender hand to her ankle. A quick flash, the glint of the moon on cold steel, a flick of her wrist, and the man fell to the ground. He clutched at the handle that suddenly protruded from his throat, before going still and silent. The blonde, Brianna, turned to see who'd struck the fatal blow to her enemy. She could see no one. But she knew from experience, that just because you don't see them, doesn't mean they're not there. The slim figure on the roof was gone. She'd found her target, her prey.

Brianna wrapped her hand around the blade's handle, pulling it out of the fallen man's throat. Her eyes gleamed in recognition.

Brianna shook her head in wonder. Could it be? But if she were here, that would mean...oh god, she didn't want to dwell on what that might mean. But Brianna knew she wasn't imagining things. Shaken, she whispered, "Max?"

* * *

A beam of silver moonlight shone on two figures, engaged in a dance as old as time; the killing dance. The moonlight encircled them like a spotlight. It seemed as if the gods themselves were lighting the stage, intent on seeing the deadly game play out. 

They wouldn't have to wait long.

Both men were tiring, their bodies broken and battered from the constant attacks each were launching. The attacks had slowed in frequency and power, but the determination fueling them never once wavered. Neither side wanted to lose; but there could be only one victor.

"494, you may as well give up now. You're tiring," Agent White said, smirking as the other man barely dodged his swinging fist.

"So are you," replied 494. His expression was the cold mask of a seasoned soldier as he delivered an expert kick to White's gut, knocking him back a few steps.

"I'm just getting started." White faced his opponent, taking a fighting stance. "And so is that human. I'm thinking he's just getting started as well with your precious 452.

Fueled by his white-hot rage, 494 sent a flurry of blows at his adversary, only a few actually hitting their mark. 494 attempted desperately to cling to the mentality he'd tried to keep in place. He was X5-494; a soldier, a killer. He was not Alec, a man with emotions, hate, and love. If he had nothing, he had nothing to lose.

His battle with himself was soon over with his enemy's next words.

"You know, that little pill will wear off before it's over. She'll know what's happening and will be powerless to stop it. If she wants you to live, she has to let it happen."

Alec, all traces of the calm and focused 494 gone, growled at White ferally, ready to attack.

"Or, at least that's what Cale will tell her. How broken will she be when she finds out that she went through with it and you died anyway? That she was fucking the man responsible while you were dying?" White did not plan on killing 494. He would be useful in drawing the other bane of his existence out without a fight; 452 would come for her lover. She would do exactly what White told her. Then they would both die.

Alec launched himself at the man, his only thoughts were of Max. This man was responsible for taking something from her that she could never get back. He was responsible for the deaths of so many of Alec's family. He deserved to die, and Alec was hell-bent on insuring that his death would be a painful one.

The two men tumbled to the ground, rolling over and over in a fight for dominance. Alec was gaining the upper hand, throwing connecting punches as they rolled. But the other man had one advantage.

A single gunshot rang out.

A woman screamed.

A man groaned.

And then there was silence. Deafening silence that seemed to bear down on the whole world.

* * *

**To Be Continued...**

* * *

Don't you just hate me? 


	8. The Price of Life

**The Light at the End of the Tunnel**

_Previously in Chapter 7: _

_Alec launched himself at the man, his only thoughts were of Max. This man was responsible for taking something from her that she could never get back. He was responsible for the deaths of so many of Alec's family. He deserved to die, and Alec was hell-bent on insuring that his death would be a painful one. _

_The two men tumbled to the ground, rolling over and over in a fight for dominance. Alec was gaining the upper hand, throwing connecting punches as they rolled. But the other man had one advantage. _

_A single gunshot rang out. _

_A woman screamed. _

_A man groaned. _

_And then there was silence. Deafening silence that seemed to bear down on the whole world. _

**

Chapter Eight: The Price of Life

**

The silence streched, taking on a life of its own. After what seemed an eternity, a feral growl pierced the quiet like a knife. The sound was reminiscent of the cries of a wild jungle cat. In a way, that's what it was.

She emerged from the shadows. The woman who stepped forward, gun raised, was not the same woman she had been. She was no longer only Max; she was a soldier. She was a fierce animal who'd just lost her mate; she was a killer. Max stalked towards the man, gun arm never wavering as she trained it on him.

White looked at the wild woman, shock obvious on his face. He smirked, his own weapon already aimed at her as well.

"I should have known," he said icily, shaking his head. "The ordinary didn't last too long, huh, 452?" he jeered, a laugh bordering on maniacal escaping him. Max's eyes held a frigid darkness as she glared at the laughing man.

"You bastard," she spat, her tone holding unadulterated hatred. "He said you wouldn't kill him. That you wanted him alive."

"Well, he's not dead. Yet." Max chanced a look from the corner of an eye, searching the man on the ground for signs of life. A large stain, barely visible in the dark, had spread from the wound on his side. Trails of dark liquid dripped onto the grass. He was so still that at first glace, it seemed as if death had claimed him. Max's heart fluttered in short-lived relief as she saw the laboured rise and fall of his chest.

He was alive.

But if something wasn't done soon, that sparkle, the vitality that was Alec, would fade and die.

White's penetrating eyes examined his enemy. He could see the determination painted on the woman's face, but there was something else, too; resignation. Resignation to what, he didn't know. 'She's nothing but an animal that needs to be put down,' he thought, as he readied himself for her impending attack. He noticed the shift in her stance, her eyes roaming around, assessing the battle that waged around them.

During her hunt for White, she had seen her friends in action, fairing well given the circumstances. But they were suffering heavy casualties, something she found utterly unacceptable. She refused to let anyone else die.

Max's desperate eyes returned to the smirking man in front of her and the angry animal that dwelled inside of her began to relinquish its hold.

Getting Alec out alive was top priority, and she knew White would never let that happen. She knew what she had to do.

"Why do you want him?" she asked, glancing quickly toward Alec to make sure he was still breathing. He was. Barely. Her heart ached and told her to just kill the bastard who'd made him look so frail and helpless; so still. But the logical side calculated the odds of Alec's survival if she acted on her impulse. They weren't good odds.

White watched the emotions dance over Max's face before she turned her gaze back to him. As if by the interference of some unseen force, her face was suddenly emotionless. She was a soldier once more, the cold mask of her trade back in place.

"He's been a thorn in my side since he got out of Manticore. Almost as big a problem as you."

Max snorted. "He'd be so disappointed to hear that. We had a bet goin'." The sarcasm was there, but her expression remained cold and empty. "Looks like I won. Now answer my question."

White laughed with that air of superiority that always radiated from him in almost tangible waves. "You haven't won yet." Max just glared in response, silent, waiting for him to continue. "He was my bait. And look what a pretty fish I caught." White's face was a mix of amusement, concentration, and disgust.

"I'm hard to catch, you know that. And pretty, huh? I was under the distinct impression you though my kind were nothing but animals." A hint of emotion managed to fight its way to the surface of Max's expressionless face. She leaned in closer to him and whispered, "You into beastiality these days, Ames?" She wore a smirk that was almost identical to the one her fallen lover affected so often.

White snarled, his trigger finger twitching dangerously, as he grasped the gun in a white-knuckled grip. He said nothing as he regarded the thin brunette that so often spun his world into chaos. 'If only we didn't need her alive,' he mused bitterly.

Max watched carefully as her enemy neared her, emotion clouding his face. 'His emotions make him weak,' the soldier in her thought. A soldier that sounded an awful lot like her brother, Zack. "You may think you and your almighty cult groupies are better than us, that we're animals." She shot the words at him like daggers. She threw out an arm, gesturing to the horrific scene of death and fighting that surrounded them on all sides. "But look around you and then you tell me who the animals are!" She paused, gauging his reaction to her words. To his credit, he didn't show an increase in hatred. 'He's one tough bastard, I'll give him that.'

"You can still make this better, Ames. You can fix this. No one else needs to die. " Max could see that White wasn't ready to just throw down his gun and call truce. 'It was worth a shot,' she thought. Her shoulders slumped slightly as she realized the only option she had left.

White smirked as he saw her defeated stance. "What did you expect? Negotiations over tea and crumpets?" He laughed low in his throat, the sound cold enough to chill to the bone.

Max stiffened her shoulders, her back impossibly straight, mimicking the posture she had held so many times as a child . She held her head high; she would do this on her own terms. "Let all my people out -including 494- with no problems, and you can have me."

White was shocked. Never would he in his wildest dreams have thought X5-452, the leader of the transgenic nation, would turn herself over to him without a fight. It was too good to be true, but the look he saw in her eyes told him she was telling the truth. He would take her offer; but the others were another issue. "You're either very smart or very stupid."

"Probably a little of both,' she replied, looking White in the eyes. She could see the relief in his yes and it made her curious. "We've faced off before, Ames, yet you've never taken me out. So tell me, what's so special about me? Why not just kill me?"

From the corner of her eye, Max saw a Familiar approaching, gun trained on her. White was watching her so intently he failed to sense the other man.

White's eyes glinted and he snorted. "Not gonna happen, 452."

The familiar behind him stumbled in the dark, causing White to lose focus as his head whipped around. Max didn't hesitate. She launched herself at her enemy, catching his head with her boot, the sound of the impact cracking loudly, blood flying from his mouth as he hit the ground.

The intruder lunged at Max, toppling her to the ground, leaving behind a stunned White. Max wasn't able to react quick enough to keep herself from being pinned to the grass. She spat in the Familiar's face. "Why!" she screamed at him, unable to keep back her fury any longer. "Why do you people toy with me? Huh! Why keep me alive if you want me dead!"

The man wiped the wetness from his face, but not before delivering a powerful slap to Max's cheek. "You're the key to what we need." Max couldn't believe it; the idiot was gloating. "His father," the Familiar said nodding in White's direction. His voice held obvious disdain for the man; the creator of the 'transgenic animals'. "He designed you to save mankind, but..." He smirked as if trying to mimic his superior. "When used the right way, your blood helps destroy them."

"Why keep me alive? If it's my blood you want, why not just kill me and take it?" Max knew she was tempting fate, but this information could prove invaluable. 'If I ever get out of here to use it,' she thought, immediately throwing the negative comment away. She silently wondered if Sandeman was as smart as everyone had thought, doing something so dangerous.

"Sandeman knew that once The Conclave discovered your...unique DNA, we would simply eliminate the threat and take what we needed."

Max snorted. 'Eliminate the threat, my ass.' The Familiar glared and continued.

"He wanted to make sure we'd have to keep you alive. The specific enzyme we need from you will be neutralized if you die."

Max took in all this new information, storing it in her enhanced memory. 'Just in case,' she thought. Max was now banking on the fact he was telling the truth. He thought he'd won. As long as Alec was alive, she was the one who'd win.

A sound from the sidelines, a groan of agony, and Max's plan was thrown to the ground, crushed under White's proverbial foot.

Alec had woken up and was calling for her "Max?" he groaned groggily, his hand going to his side as he tried to sit up. The pain stabbed through him, reminding him why he was on the ground.

Max turned to assure herself that Alec was okay. Seeing the anguish in his features, without a moment's hesitation, she brought her hands up and twisted her captor's head. The bones snapped as his neck broke. Max threw the man off of her, and jumping up, she hurried to Alec's side. That moment of distraction was all White needed. He lunged at her, spinning her around when she was only a step or two from her destination. He put her into a headlock and brought his gun up to Max's head. Only too late did he realize that Max's own gun was on the other side of her head, the barrel pressed against her temple.

"You're slippin', Amesie. You should teach your underlings not to go revealin' all your evil plans before knowing for sure that you've won. Don't you watch movies? The villain _always_ does that, and always ends up getting his ass kicked." Max clucked her tongue disapprovingly. "You're getting too cocky for your own good." She kept her gun firmly in place as White struggled, trying to shake her grip.

"Max!" Alec screamed, trying to jump up. His efforts resulted only in a coughing fit, as his injury made itself known. "What the hell are you doing!" Alec was puzzled. He couldn't figure out why Max would put the gun to her own head. It wasn't much of a plan to keep someone from killing you; they'd help you pull the trigger.

"Alec, stay the hell out of this. I know what I'm doing," Max ordered. She was _not_ going to have him doing something heroic and stupid and end up dying. Not when she had a gun to her head to ensure that he stayed alive.

"Lover's quarrel?" White goaded, still struggling with Max.

"Ah ah ah. I would stop that if I were you," Max chided as White tightened his grip on her neck. "Wouldn't want me to accidentally pull the trigger with you shaking me so damn much. Can't damage the goods, right?" White growled in frustration, and Alec was beginning to understand. They needed her alive.

"We got a deal, Ames? Me for them. You let me see them walk out of here safe, let them take the injured and dead, and you get me." White knew he had no choice. She would pull the trigger before he could do anything, and all would be lost. Not just their plans. His life would be in The Conclave's firm grasp; he couldn't afford another failure at the hands of 452.

White loosened his grip only slightly on the transgenic's neck, and spat. "Deal."

"Max, no!" Alec had managed to stand up, but was becoming dizzy with the exertion. "Max, you can't..." He trailed off as he began to cough again.

"No, Alec! This way no one else has to die." Max could feel tears threatening to form, but she wouldn't let them. She had to be strong for Alec, for everyone. Her eyes searched the jumble around them, looking for someone, anyone. "Briana! Get everyone out. Now! Help Alec and the injured and gather the," she paused, closing her eyes in pain, thinking of the fallen transgenics she'd been powerless to save, "gather the bodies." Briana was a good soldier. She didn't ask questions, even though they were storming in her mind.

Briana came over to the three of them, putting an arm around Alec's waist to support him. "Max, please," he pleaded, doing his best to struggle against Briana's grip.

"Alec, I have to. Please, just go. I love you." Alec fought Briana the entire time she led him away. He didn't stop screaming Max's name until they reached their transport.

* * *

"I'm ready," Max said once she had seen to her satisfaction that everyone was safely out. They'd lost so many in this battle, and she felt selfish that she was only thankful that Alec wasn't among the losses. 

White led her into the warehouse after discarding her weapon. She was placed in a small holding cell that reminded her of the rooms in the basement of Manticore. The Psy-Ops rooms. The walls were painted a blinding white - no windows, and the door was painted white like the room. Everything appeared seamless, as if there were no corners, no door, nothing but white. The irony was not lost on her.

Before he left her alone in the cell, she had to ask one question. "How are you even alive?"

White smirked at her once again and raised an eyebrow. "You think that Manticore's the only one to perfect cloning?" Then, without another word, he left, closing the door behind him. Max heard a bolt slide on the other side, assuring that she wouldn't escape.

She sat alone on the floor, broken. Tears threatened once more to form and fall, and this time she let them. She had nothing left. This was the price she'd paid for the lives of her family, her love. She'd traded not just her life. If she couldn't escape, she'd traded the transgenics for the human race. She sat alone defeated and wept bitter tears for the price of life.

* * *

Alright...Took me long enough to get this chapter done. Hope everyone enjoyed it :) Would feedback be too much to ask? I worked hard on this one...ask Shana! 

A/N: Spoilers for After the Dark, an official DA novel by Max Collins that will increase your understanding of this fic:

FYI 1. White will NOT be asking Max where his son is, because, for those of you who haven't read the DA book After the Dark by Max Collins, the Familiars killed Ray and Ray's Aunt because White was becoming too obsessed.

FYI 2. In the same book, Joshua gets revenge on White because of him killing Annie by literally ripping his head off...The idea here in this chapter is that it wasn't White that Joshua killed, but White's cloned decoy.


	9. Remember, Bleed, and Burn

**The Light at the End of the Tunnel**

_Chapter Nine: Remember, Bleed, and Burn_

_-Previously in The Light at the End of the Tunnel-_

_"We've faced off before, Ames, yet you've never taken me out. So tell me, what's so special about me? Why not just kill me?" _

_"You're the key to what we need." The Familiar nodded toward White. "His father," he began, great disdain for the creator of the transgenics evident in his voice, "designed you to save mankind." He smirked as if trying to mimic his superior, yet failing miserably. "But when used the right way, your blood can also destroy them." _

_"Sandeman knew that once The Conclave discovered your...unique DNA, we would simply eliminate the threat and take what we needed...He wanted to make sure we'd have to keep you alive. The specific enzyme we need from you will be neutralized if you die." _

_Max turned to assure herself that Alec was okay. Seeing the anguish in his features, without a moment's hesitation, she brought her hands up and twisted her captor's head. The bones snapped as his neck broke. Max threw the man off of her, and jumping up, she hurried to Alec's side. That moment of distraction was all White needed. He lunged at her, spinning her around when she was only a step or two from her destination. He put her into a headlock and brought his gun up to Max's head. Only too late did he realize that Max's own gun was on the other side of her head, the barrel pressed against her temple. _

_"We got a deal, Ames? Me for them. You let me see them walk out of here safe, let them take the injured and dead, and you get me." _

_White loosened his grip only slightly on the transgenic's neck, and spat. "Deal." _

_"Max, no!" Alec had managed to stand up, but was becoming dizzy with the exertion. "Max, you can't..." He trailed off as he began to cough again. _

_She was placed in a small holding cell that reminded her of the rooms in the basement of Manticore. The Psy-Ops rooms. The walls were painted a blinding white - no windows, and the door was painted white like the room. Everything appeared seamless, as if there were no corners, no door, nothing but white. The irony was not lost on her. _

_"How are you even alive?" _

_White smirked at her once again and raised an eyebrow. "You think that Manticore's the only one to perfect cloning?" _

_She sat alone on the floor, broken. Tears threatened once more to fall, and this time she let them. She had nothing left. This was the price she'd paid for the lives of her family, for the man she loved. She hadn't traded just her life. If she couldn't escape, she'd traded the transgenics for the human race. She sat alone defeated and wept bitter tears for the price of life. _

* * *

Now onto Chapter Nine: 

The infirmary at Terminal City was in utter chaos. Medics were running from bed to bed attempting to determine damage and priority. The once immaculate white walls and floor were now spattered with blood and darker things. The sounds of people in deep anguish permeated the air; people screaming, crying, begging a higher power to protect a loved one. But the worst of all the sounds, was the sound of nothing; the nothingness of death.

Alec lay in a cot in a far corner of the infirmary, his wounds having already been attended. He didn't move; he'd long ago given up his struggle against his restraints. Mira, TC's chief surgeon, had threatened him with sedation after the first hour he'd struggled. There was no way he was letting himself be put under before he had some answers to the many questions storming in his mind. Of course, the burning pain in every part of his body every time he even thought about moving helped keep him still.

As soon as he had been able to think clearly, he'd asked Mira how Max had gotten to the warehouse in her condition. Instead of answering, she had sent for Joshua. As he waited for his friend and for answers, Alec's mind raced. During their fight with White, he'd learned quite a bit, but he couldn't quite wrap his head around everything. He knew that the Familiars wanted Max alive and that she'd sacrificed herself for her people. The only other thing he knew was that Logan had drugged Max, and was working with White. Palpable hatred emanated from every pore as he thought of the man that he had once trusted. _I didn't like him, but I trusted him, at some point._ Alec closed his eyes, attempting to shut out the thought of what Logan could have done to Max.

"Medium Fella sleeping?" Joshua asked quietly.

"No Big Fella, I'm not sleepin'," he replied. He opened his eyes and couldn't help the small smile the canine man provoked from him. His mere presence helped ebb the rage a little.

"Good." Joshua beamed one of his bright smiles at his friend. "Why did Alec want Joshua?" Alec's rage flew through him again, unbidden.

"Mira wouldn't tell me what happened with Max. She said you could tell me." Joshua frowned and lowered his head.

"Max with White?" Joshua ventured, silently begging Alec not to make him tell what he'd seen. Mira had made him promise that he would try not to get Alec angry.

"Joshua," Alec ground out. "You know that isn't what I meant. What did that bastard do to her?" His voice was low and dangerous as he stared at Joshua, waiting for a response.

"I - I don't know everything," Joshua began. "I...Logan went into Max and Alec's place, after teams left. He tried to hurt Max. She couldn't...she hurt him." Joshua stopped; he didn't want to remember anything. Not what he'd seen, not what Max had looked like, so frail and vulnerable as she screamed. And not what he'd seen in her eyes as she'd picked up Alec's gun and left.

Alec saw the pain in Joshua's expression and wished he could let him stop. But he couldn't; he needed to know. "Josh, I know it's hard. But please."

Joshua whimpered quietly, but bravely forged ahead. "Max hurt Logan and he went to sleep. Joshua heard Little Fella scream...screamed for long, long time." Joshua closed his eyes and lowered his head further. Alec murmured words of encouragement and soon the big man was speaking again.

"Logan knocked out. Joshua threw him off Max. She couldn't move...handcuffed arms and legs. Joshua found key and helped Max. Don't know for sure if - Smelled not right, but..." Joshua couldn't' seem to find the right words. "Joshua think Max stopped him... before. But he must have said - she got dressed and told Joshua, 'Go take this animal to a holding cell,'" Joshua related, trying to imitate Max's voice and gestures, to get it just right. Alec nodded, knowing that if he said a word, his anger would show through. The only thing keeping Alec from once again attempting to break his restraints was the fact that Logan had not succeeded. But there _would_ be hell to pay for all that he had done; the lives that had been lost because of Logan's selfishness; the loss of his Max.

"Is there anything else, Joshua?" Alec prodded after a long silence.

Joshua shifted his stance several times, rubbing his large hands together in nervous anxiety. "Max wasn't Max when she left. She was someone - some_thing_ different. She took your gun, told Joshua to tell HQ to send back-up for fighting teams. Alec, Max...gone." Joshua turned away as large tears started to fall soundlessly from his eyes. Alec didn't want to think about what Joshua had said. It had been _his_ gun against Max's head. It shook him to the core to know that if she'd have done it - killed herself- it would've been with his own gun. He pushed down all his emotions, all except the incredible hate that filled him.

"Joshua, shh buddy. Why don't you go get Mira now, and then go get some rest, okay?" Alec hoped he'd sounded softer than he felt, for Joshua's sake. His friend nodded and lumbered off to fetch the good doctor.

It took several minutes for Mira to come to Alec's bedside. Things were just starting to calm down a little, everyone who could be had been treated, and Mira was thankful for the lull. "Yes, Alec?" Before Alec could even get out a word, she spoke again. "And before you ask, under no circumstances are you getting out of this bed for another three days at least, understood?"

Alec nodded in begrudged agreement. "That's only one reason I wanted to talk to you. How long has it been since...since we got back?"

"Almost 24 hours, now." Mira winced and the wide-eyed look of shock that passed over Alec's face.

"An entire day?" he asked incredulously. Mira nodded sympathetically.

"You were out cold nearly half that time. You had a lot more than just a gunshot wound to fix. Broken ribs, a broken leg that had to be set, we had to put pins in your knees. That's the _short_ list. It's a miracle you were able to stand at all."

Alec was silent for a long time before he spoke. "Has anyone gone back to the warehouse?"

Mira's face fell as she anticipated his reaction to what she was about to say. "Yes. A team went to do a little recon about 2 hours ago. There's nothing left, Alec. Nothing. No bodies, no equipment, no warehouse. Just ashes. They've relocated."

"Do we have any idea..." Before Alec could finish, Mira shook her head.

"They could be anywhere. But we'll find them. Once everyone's recuperated, we'll find them. And we'll get Max back." Reaching down, she pulled the blanket up around Alec. "Just get some rest."

"Right," Alec said, his voice devoid of any emotion. "Mira, when I can get outta here, I wanna see him."

Mira knew better than to argue this particular point. _Hell, even I just wanna go put a bullet between his eyes._

"No one is to touch him, or go near him but me, understood?" Alec spoke with such authority that it was all Mira could do to keep herself from standing at attention, saluting, and saying 'Yes, sir!' Instead, she simply nodded and walked away.

Alec took a deep breath and swore when the action reminded him of his broken ribs. He closed his eyes, but all he could see was Max struggling with White, both their guns at either side of her head. Sleep would be a long time coming.

* * *

Two Weeks Later... 

Strapped to a cold metal table in a bright white room was a young girl, stripped of all her clothes. Tubes of varying sizes and shapes protruded from her body in precise medical placement, marring her perfect features. Some carried a clear liquid into her, meant to keep her immobile. But most of the tubes pulled her blood - her life - from her and carried it to rest in clear jars. Those who were taking it were not yet sure how to safely extract from it what they needed. That was one of two reasons why she was still alive.

The other reason stood high above the medical room and watched intently from behind the glass of the observation deck. A cruel smirk decorated his lips as he took in the sight of the girl. She didn't move - couldn't - courtesy of the drugs being pumped continuously into her small frame. One would assume she was asleep, until they saw her eyes. Wide-open, panicked, and alert, her deep brown eyes flitted from one side to the other frantically. She was fully aware of everything happening around her.

A small man garbed in a white lab coat, approached his superior, and told him what new information they had discovered. They had discovered the technique they'd needed. This was the girl's last day in the medical room. The cruel-smiled man laughed icily at the news. _Soon 452. Soon you'll be mine. You'll pay for all that you have done. And then, you'll die._

* * *

On the table, the woman tried to survey her surroundings, tried to understand what was happening. She felt that she should know where she was, but there was so much she couldn't remember anymore. _What's my name? Do I even have a name?_. The doctors had called her "specimen", and the man with cold eyes and a suit, had called her a number. _452_, she recalled foggily. _Strange for a name._ She didn't know the man's name, so she'd named him Ice-Eyes, because every time he looked at her, it was with an icy intensity that chilled her to the bone. 

She couldn't remember much of her life before the blinding white room, before the incessant testing, and then the cold periods in solitude. Time meant nothing here. There were only the times that she was in testing and the times she was alone. There was only one thing that seemed to rise above the fog; shining eyes, green with flecks of gold. Those eyes held so much emotion; pain, anger, fear, love. _Are they my eyes?_ If she focused on those eyes, she didn't feel quite as lost.

Just as suddenly as the procedure had begun, it ended. The tubes were ripped out of her body with none of the precision and care that had been present when they had been inserted. **Drip, drip, drip.** The sound of her own blood falling to the floor echoing off the walls to be amplified by her own sensitive hearing. _Sounds like gunshots,_ she thought. At the comparison, a dim memory surfaced; the sound of a single gunshot rang louder than the sea of others around her. A young man laying on the ground, bleeding from a wound in his side; still as death. The evil sneer of Ice-Eyes. She didn't know who the man on the ground was, or why he'd been hurt. She didn't understand why this one memory made her heart clench tight in her chest. She tried to open her mouth, to scream, but no sound would come. _Why can't I remember?_

"Hello, 452," the Ice-Eyes' voice said. She forced her eyes to the right, hoping that she'd only imagined it. But there he stood, glaring down at her. Several hands pulled at her, lifting her off of the metal table to sit her in a wheelchair facing _him_. Seeing his face sent tendrils of fear throughout her body, starting at the base of her spine. _Maybe not remembering isn't so bad. I don't have to remember why I'm so afraid of him._

"Your testing is over now, you won't be coming here anymore." Her eyes widened as much as they could in relief and surprise. Would they let her go home now? _Do I have a home? Is home with whoever those beautiful eyes belong to?_ Then Ice-Eyes laughed at her, laughed at her hope. "Now you belong to me." She tried to whimper, to yell, to do anything but just wait passively for him take her. But she could only sit silently as he walked around to the back of her wheelchair and began to push her out of the laboratory.

They traveled down so many hallways, past so many doors. Behind some of them the woman thought she could hear people screaming like they were in indescribable pain. _Will I scream like they do?_ After too many twists and turns for her to count, they came to a stop in front of a door like all the rest that she had seen. Everything looked the same here, everything the same sickening white. The man swiped a card in a slot next to the door and pushed her inside the dark room. A pungent coppery odor assaulted her nose as soon as she entered, a familiar smell. Realization hit her and she silently begged him not to turn on the lights, an effort in futility, she knew. The click of the light switch sounded and bathed the room in the same pure light as the whole facility had. This room, too, was white. But deep scarlet stains spattered the walls and floors. She glanced up as far as her immobile body would allow. The same horrid stains were on the ceiling.

_No, no, no, no, NO!_ she screamed in her head. Ice-Eyes picked her up from her chair, making sure that they made as little contact as needed. He carried her across the room and leaned her against the wall. She heard the clank of metal on metal as he reached for something above her head. He clamped her wrists in iron manacles, leaving her to hang from chains attached to the ceiling. The cold metal bit into her wrists as all her weight came down on them when he let go of the hold he'd had on her waist. Her ankles were next, bound to the floor in the same kind of chains as her wrists. The woman could no longer see what was happening, unable to support her head enough to look up. She could see only the white floor, specked with blood, and Ice-Eyes' feet as he moved to her side. The clank of heavy chains sounded again, and the woman felt her arms start to be pulled higher above her head. Once her feet could no longer touch the floor, Ice-Eyes stopped her ascension.

The woman tried so hard to focus on something -anything- other than the manacles biting into her flesh, other than the pain in her wrists and shoulders from the strain. Ice-Eyes grabbed a fistful of her hair, pulling her head back so she could see him. His eyes glittered with menace as he glared at her with open disgust, and spit in her face. "Filth! You, you're the reason that my son is **dead**!" He screamed the last word at her, pulling her head back painfully further. A small sound, a whimper, escaped her lips, and that small triumph made her forget the pain momentarily.

"I...I don't remember..." Speaking hurt, and she was only barely able to squeeze out a whisper, but she had been able to talk. She dared to hope that now she would be able to talk Ice-Eyes out of whatever he was going to do. Her words fell upon ears deafened by hate and Ice-Eyes laughed humorlessly.

"You don't remember?" He searched her eyes for some kind of sign that she was lying. "Must be all the drugs in your system and the loss of blood. But don't worry, that'll fade. You'll remember, and then you'll wish you could forget it all." Roughly, he let her hair loose and walked away. Her head fell and once more all she could see was the floor. She tried to lift her head and discovered she could move it, but only slightly. The drugs were beginning to wear off, and foggy memories were coming to her mind's surface. When she saw the sight in front of her, she immediately wished she hadn't looked.

Ice-Eyes stood in front of her, his features radiating malevolence. He'd gloved his hands, and she had a moment to remember similar hands, ones that wore the same latex covering. _Traitor_. In one hand was a metal scalpel, the white light of the room making it glint dangerously. In the other hand, was some object she didn't recognize. It was the same shiny metal as the scalpel, but had a curved tip, both edges serrated. She could only guess at its use.

The pain went on and on, for what seemed like forever. It could've been minutes, hours, even days for all she knew. All she knew was the pain. Her blood flowed in rivulets down her naked body to spatter the floor with more stains, the new ones a bright and glistening red in the harsh light. With each incision, the effects of the drugs were driven off. She struggled to focus on her surfacing memories, something to distract her from the hurting. _White_. The word flew to the top of her consciousness; Ice-Eyes had a new name.

She'd vowed not to scream, not to let him have the satisfaction, for she knew he would revel in her broken cries. The longer she was silent, however, the more violent he became and she longed to take herself away from it all. All her memories were there, almost tangible, scrambling to get out. Flashes of images, too quickly passing to grasp, filled her mind's eye.

"452," White spat out, as if the words had tasted foul. "Why are you resisting? Just give into it, and maybe I'll stop...for now."

_452, 452, 452_. The number repeated over and over again in her head. She knew she despised the number, but couldn't remember why.

Before she passed out from exhaustion and pain, she was able to capture one memory.

"My name," she croaked, "is Max." Then the world turned black, and she was left to her fitful slumber, still hanging limp from the ceiling.

* * *

Alec breathed in deeply as he stepped into the corridor in the basement of the building that housed HQ. He walked dangerously and deliberately toward the heavy door with "14" written backwards on the barred window. Every day the number changed. Every day the window was washed and the number was made to equal the number of days _she_ had been missing. And every day, Alec came down to the cell to pay a visit to its prisoner. 

As Alec turned the key in the lock he could hear the scuffling sounds from the other side. It was the same every day; the prisoner would try to hide. But the cell was small and bare and did not contain any safe harbors.

He stepped inside slowly, shutting and locking the door behind him. "Day number fourteen and still no sign of where White has taken her," Alec stated coldly. He took a lighter out of his pocket and raised the metal rod he'd been holding. He brought the tip of the iron to the flame, letting it heat until it was bright red. He quickly crossed the space of the room, no emotion showing in his features, and grabbed the man cowering in the corner. He grasped the now screaming man's forearm and pressed the red-hot metal to it, searing the flesh until it hissed. When he pulled it away, an inflamed "14" was left in its place. All the way from the prisoner's shoulder to his forearm there were numbers burned into his skin; one for every day Max had been gone, a reminder of the pain he'd caused.

Alec released the arm from his grasp and threw the man to the hard cement floor. Turning, he walked out of the cell as if nothing had happened. Logan cowered in the corner once again, nursing his newest wound. He could only hope they found her soon, before they ran out of space on his arms.

* * *

This chapter was never meant to be so...dark, but I just couldn't help it. I sat down after trying to write the first part and giving up, and all of this just kind of wrote itself. Tell me what you think...am I absolutely evil? 


	10. Sins of the Father

**The Light at the End of the Tunnel**

_Chapter 10: Sins of the Father_

_-Previously in LET-_

_"Max wasn't Max when she left. She was someone - some_thing_ different. She took your gun, told Joshua to tell HQ to send back-up for fighting teams. Alec, Max...gone." _

_"There's nothing left, Alec. Nothing. No bodies, no equipment, no warehouse. Just ashes. They've relocated." _

What's my name? Do I even have a name?_. The doctors had called her "specimen", and the man with cold eyes and a suit, had called her a number. _452_, she recalled foggily. _Strange for a name._ She didn't know the man's name, so she'd named him Ice-Eyes, because every time he looked at her, it was with an icy intensity that chilled her to the bone. _

_"My name," she croaked, "is Max." Then the world turned black, and she was left to her fitful slumber, still hanging limp from the ceiling. _

_"Day number fourteen and still no sign of where White has taken her," Alec stated coldly. He took a lighter out of his pocket and raised the metal rod he'd been holding. He brought the tip of the iron to the flame, letting it heat until it was bright red. He quickly crossed the space of the room, no emotion showing in his features, and grabbed the man cowering in the corner. He grasped the now screaming man's forearm and pressed the red-hot metal to it, searing the flesh until it hissed. When he pulled it away, an inflamed "14" was left in its place. All the way from the prisoner's shoulder to his forearm there were numbers burned into his skin; one for every day Max had been gone, a reminder of the pain he'd caused. _

Chapter 10: Sins of the Father

About a month later...

It was early morning in Terminal City and darkness still hovered over the city, drowning it in shadow. Most of the city's inhabitants were still tucked in their warm beds, but inside TC Headquarters, Alec was far from sleep. He was pouring over every piece of information he'd been able to gather on the possible whereabouts of Max.

He realized vaguely that he was hungry, but he hadn't eaten properly since Max was taken. Also since then, he'd set the record for the longest an X5 could go without sleep; three weeks. Three weeks he'd stayed awake, exploring every rumour and lead in order to find her. Then, one day while he'd been on the phone with a contact, he'd passed out cold in the middle of the conversation. His body had rebelled against the abuse and completely shut down, forcing him to take the rest he needed. Mira had kept him in the infirmary for a week, for most of which he slept while his body replenished itself. He'd been fed intravenously for the duration of his stay because even when he'd awoken he had refused to eat.

A week later and he was quickly heading down the same path he'd been before, sleeping very little and eating even less. He knew that he needed rest and nourishment if he didn't want to end up back in the infirmary, but he couldn't make himself stop. _Over a month and still nothing!_ he thought angrily, throwing his glass of scotch across the room. It shattered as it hit the far wall, smattering the amber liquid on the coarse green surface, chipping the paint.

"Dammit!" Alec exclaimed hanging his head and bracing his arms on the desk when he noticed the damage he'd done to the wall. Unwanted memories filled his mind even as he tried to banish them. His eyes upturned to stare at the ceiling, tears stung his eyes. They refused to fall for he'd cried so much already.

* * *

**Flashback**

"Don't go in yet," Max ordered, playfully covering Alec's eyes with her petite hands.

He laughed as she maneuvered him towards the office door. "Why, exactly can't I go into my office, Maxie?" he asked jokingly, trying none too hard to remove her hands so he could see. "Your new boyfriend hidin' in there?" he teased.

Max chuckled and used one hand to smack his forehead lightly. "No! It's a surprise. Can't you be patient for 30 seconds, Pretty Boy?" she jibed, using the nickname she'd come to favour when joking with him.

Upon entering the room, a familiar smell assailed his senses; paint fumes. "Aww man, has Josh been painting in my office?" he said, grimacing half-heartedly. "That's why you won't let me see, there's a mess, right?"

"Joshua didn't make mess. Promise," came the canine man's reply from the corner of the room.

"Come on guys, the suspense is killing me here!" he said with all the excitement of a small child. Max slowly brought her hands down from his face and moved to stand in front of him.

She shot Joshua an encouraging smile before saying, "Okay Alec, you can look now."

When Alec opened his eyes what he saw astounded him; the walls and ceiling were all painted almost the exact same colour as his eyes, even with small flecks of gold. Ornate gold trimmings lined the tops of the walls, the windows, and the door frame. A beautiful large and intricate celtic knot was painted on the ceiling, in the same shimmering gold, its center emanating from the light bulb. Alec gaped in open mouthed shock as he took it all in. "Josh, you did all this?"

Joshua shook his head side to side and pointed to the ceiling. "Max did that one. All of it was her idea. Joshua helped."

"Thanks Big Fella," Alec smiled as he stepped forward and pulled Max into a tight hug. "And thank you Max. It's beautiful." He kissed her lightly and then looked up at the ceiling once more. "Why the celtic knot? I've never seen one like that before."

Max blushed slightly, lowering her head. She was not accustomed to openly expressing the emotion she was about to share. "I...I combined the knots for love, eternity, and protection, kind of made my own up."

Alec gazed at her affectionately, tracing a finger along her jaw and making her meet his eyes with her own. He laid a gentle but passionate kiss on her full lips. Joshua took the moment of distraction to quietly remove himself from the tender scene, smiling to himself as he left.

"You know, my way of reminding you that I'll always love you, and do everything I can to protect you," Max said quietly, laying her head on his chest. "You really like it?"

"I love it, Maxie. I love you."

**End Flashback

* * *

**

Alec fought hard to compose himself, trying to forget the scene that had occurred almost 4 years ago. Recently he'd been getting in depth memories and the slightest thing could set them off. It seemed as though the harder he tried to push them away, the more vivid the flashbacks became.

He closed his eyes and let his head drop back, as if beseeching some higher power to give him aid. Heaving a breath from deep in his chest, he leveled his head, the emotionless mask coming over his face once again, erasing the pain that was previously so evident.

The memory had triggered a chain reaction of thoughts. The event had happened 4 years ago, shortly after the transgenics' return to Terminal City after rescuing Logan.

_Logan_, Alec seethed, phasing back to the present. _I think it's time for our guest's daily visit_.

* * *

Alec entered the cell for what seemed like the hundredth time. But no matter how many times he came here and saw Logan Cale cowering somewhere, trying to hide from him, the rage he felt never dissipated. If anything his hate for the man only grew greater every day that Max was gone.

His gaze fell upon the skin and bones figure huddled into a ball under the cot. Logan had been on a very meagre diet -nearly nothing but scraps- and the evidence was obvious. The man rocked back and forth, muttering to himself, oblivious for the moment to his visitor's entrance. Garbed only in tattered and dirty pants, Alec's handiwork - as well as that of the few transgenics who were allowed in the cell - was visible along much of the man's body. Burn scars in the shape of numbers from 1 to 39 littered his arms and back and cuts and bruises of various shapes and sizes could be seen virtually everywhere.

"Forty." It was the only word Alec said, but it spoke volumes in itself. Logan jerked, hitting his head on the bottom of the bed.

"Forty," Logan repeated in a hushed voice filled with resignation. He pulled himself out from under the bed, crawling along the floor, immobile legs dragging behind him. He'd lost the use of his legs once again, after Alec's first brutal attack the night he'd gotten out of the infirmary. Logan moved to sit hunched with his bare back facing Alec. He'd long ago lost his sanity, but in a way, he'd gained something that he hadn't had before; sense. He knew that if he didn't fight, it went quicker. Besides, it wasn't as if he could get away, and fighting only used up his nearly depleted energy.

The enraged X5 brought his boot-clad foot down hard on Logan's back, leaving the imprint of the sole in the flesh. He then repeated the action he'd done 39 times already. Lighter. Flame. Rod. Burn. Logan screamed, as he always did, the sound only diminished by his burning moisture-deprived throat. When the deed was finished, Alec began to ask the same questions he put forth during every visit.

"Do you know where they took her?" His voice ground out roughly as he pulled the crying man up from the floor.

"No," Logan whimpered between sobs. Alec threw him into the wall adjacent him, dust from the brick drifting down to the floor.

"Do you have a way to contact White or any of the Familiars?"

Logan hesitated, catching the breath that the impact with the wall had stolen from him. "No." He gasped at the pain in his chest as Alec lifted him up once again

_Broken rib_, Alec thought with empty satisfaction before delivering a devastating blow to the other man's stomach.

"Do you -" Alec's next question was interrupted by a loud knock on the door. He released Logan roughly, allowing him to fall face first onto the hard cement floor. Walking to the door and peering through the small window, he gruffly answered. "What?"

Mole's face appeared at the window, the ever-present cigar dangling from his lips. "Doc Mira gave me orders to haul your ass to the mess hall." Alec snorted in response. "Don't give me none of that shit, Princess. She told me I could use any means necessary. Even if that means it's necessary for me to pistol whip you and give you to the Doc so the _she_ can feed you."

Alec's eyes narrowed as he glanced between his victim and the lizard man. "I'm not finished with him yet," he growled, though he already knew that he would get nothing more from the man except screams.

"He'll still be here after you eat," Mole replied. He was worried about the once cocky and jolly X5. Alec never smiled anymore, or slept, or ate. Alec grunted non-commitally, turned to give Logan one more swift kick, and left the cell. Mole shook his head and followed Alec down the corridor. _For his sake, I hope we find her soon.

* * *

_

The bright fluorescent lights made her head pound and she tried futiley to close her eyes against the harsh whiteness. Her eyes had been taped open, as usual, to ensure that she would have to see the man who took such great pleasure in hurting her.

Her hair was matted from sweat, blood, and simple lack of care. She ached all over, her bones weary and several of them broken. _They'll heal in a few days. Then he'll do it again_. Over the course of her stay here she'd learned a few valuable things. She was something called a transgenic, something not human and mostly animal; filthy. Her inhuman genetic make-up helped her to heal faster than normal, a fact which was often used against her. White took great pleasure in his 'compassion', sometimes allowing her to heal completely before inflicting even more devastating damage.

She watched as White smirked wickedly, raising his hand to the switch on the wall. She tried to prepare herself for what was about to come, like she had countless times before, but nothing could keep her from reacting. Electricity flowed from the metal shackles into her, making her jerk violently and sending white-hot tendrils of pain throughout her every nerve. She tasted the coppery tang of blood in her mouth as she bit the inside of her cheek to keep from screaming. It didn't help. She shrieked loudly, the pain too intense to hold back any longer.

White flipped the switch down, cutting off the electric current. He sauntered closer to her, enjoying the sound of her laboured breathing and expression of pain. "I knew you'd break, 452, transgenic filth that you are." Walking around the metal slab to which she was shackled, he examined her injuries. _Perhaps I should stop for today. Can't kill her_, he thought bitterly, frowning. The Familiar scientists had informed him a week ago that they were having difficulties in mass production of the enzyme as well as in keeping it viable. Two days out of every week, White was forced to leave her to the scientists to get a fresh sample of Max's blood. The Conclave had ordered White to keep her alive until after the Coming.

_Max, Max, Max_, she repeated in her mind. That was one thing he couldn't take from her; she knew her name. She fought every day to hold onto that one piece of herself, just like she struggled keep those enticing hazel eyes that haunted her memory.

"No witty remarks this time, 452? Even with amnesia and suffering you've kept that attitude that I've grown to loathe." White reared his arm back and brought it down with tremendous force, backhanding Max across the face hard enough to break the skin. "You must have something to say. If not, I'm sure I can find other ways to amuse myself. I could always let Larry and Fritz come back to clean this cell while I found something to do." A pleased smile split his face as immediately an almost palpable fear exuded from the nude girl on the slab. "They seemed so...enthusiastic during their last visit." His icy gaze passed over her body as she trembled at the memories. Familiars may be too high and mighty to even think about touching a transgenic in any way that didn't involve direct pain, but their human henchman were certainly not above taking advantage of a beautiful and trapped woman.

Max attempted to clear her mind, a trick she'd used often, but wasn't sure where she'd learned. No matter how hard she tried, however, the images of the two men kept surfacing; beating her, touching her, tasting her. She shuddered involuntarily before focusing on the one memory that consistently pulled her back to some form of sanity; beautiful hazel eyes.

White delivered another blow to her face, punishment for not responding.

"The man. The one with hazel eyes. He will come for me," she muttered through the pain. She wasn't sure how she could be so certain of this, but for some reason she knew without a doubt that it was true.

White laughed maniacally, grabbing a fistful of her hair. "You think 494 will come for you? Let him try. If he does, he'll die for you."

"No!" she cried, speaking louder than one would've thought she was physically able. "You're wrong." White let his fist fly, this time breaking her nose. Even as the blood poured she kept speaking. "Leave me alone you crazy bastard! I didn't kill your son! I didn't kill anybody!"

Punches came down on her like rain and she heard the cracks of more bones breaking. The beating continued until she could no longer feel anything, numb from the constant pain. One blow to her head left her unconscious, and yet White did not stop. He knew that she was right. X5-494 would come to her rescue when he discovered their location. White was not worried about one cocky transgenic; however, the problem was that he would definitely not be coming alone.

* * *

Alec sat at one of the numerous tables in the mess hall, pushing his food around his plate unceremoniously with his fork. Only Mole sat with him. Everyone else had learned to keep their distance from their brooding and easy-to-anger commander.

"You haven't even taken three bites of the damn stuff. Cherry worked hard on those pancakes," Mole chastised. Alec didn't look up from the plate, continuing to move the pancakes with his fork. "Didn't your mother ever teach you not to play with your food?"

Alec let his fork drop with a clatter to the plate and eyed Mole dangerously. "Didn't have a mother. Anyone ever tell you shouldn't smoke at the dinner table?" The jibe fell from his lips with ease, but held none of the good-natured humour it once would have.

Mole's approach ever since the transgenics' return from Yakima, had been to continue as if nothing had happened. A joke here, insult there; but it didn't mean he didn't care. Every day he hoped that a real smile would appear on Alec's face after he'd told some story or joke. And it never came. He returned the intense gaze being directed at him. "Like the smoke is gonna harm your precious genetically enhanced lungs." He leaned back in his chair, metal and plastic creaking under him. "Shut up and finish your food, soldier." The X5 glared at him and pushed his plate away.

"Not. Hungry," he bit out, emphasizing each word angrily.

The two sat in silence for several long moments. Alec stared off into space, his face blank.

Mole sighed heavily and in barely more than a whisper he said, "She wouldn't want you to starve, you know." Alec's head jerked up as if Mole had slapped him with the words.

"Don't you talk about her," he spat, his hands balling into fists on top of the table. His knuckles turned white and his nails dug into his palms. They bit into the flesh, leaving small crescent-moon shaped indentations that filled with blood.

"Why can't I talk about her? We _need_ to if we're ever going to get her back. You can't do all the recon and follow all the leads by yourself!" Mole was finished being quiet. Alec was headed down a dangerous path, and everyone else was too afraid to do anything about it.

"The fuck I can't! I've been taking care of it since the beginning!" Alec slammed his hand down on the table, causing the wood to crack audibly. The occupants of the mess hall did their best to look entranced with their food while still listening to the exchange.

"And look where the hell it's gotten you! It's been over a month and you still haven't found Ma-" Mole's words were cut off by Alec's firm grasp around his throat. Mole's cigar fell from his lips to the floor, sending up a trail of smoke next to them. Alec's eyes glinted as if on fire, making the smoke an appropriate backdrop.

"I **will** find her!"

The door at the front of the mess hall flew open, swinging into several people holding food trays. The sound of the trays clattering to the floor caught the fighting transgenics' attention. Joshua hurried toward them, seemingly oblivious to the scene he was witnessing. He gasped, attempting to catch his breath before he spoke. Alec reluctantly released his hold on Mole's throat. Mole shook himself, adjusting his clothing dramatically, and sat back down in his seat.

"Alec, Joshua has good news!" His canine features lit up with excitement. "Father's here!"

* * *

Alec sat across the conference table in HQ, observing the gray haired man. His eyes narrowed and expression hardened upon seeing the cane at his side.The Manticore Symbol. Sandeman was responsible for so much; starting Manticore, the existence of all transgenics, and making Max so special that the Familiars just had to have her. He glared in animosity at the old man, letting his dislike for him show. Joshua, however, was almost bouncing up and down in his chair next to "Father".

"So what made you finally decide to grace us with your presence, _Dad_?" Alec threw at him. The way he held himself seemed almost lazy and laid back, but with a closer look one could see that everything - every move- was calculated.

Sandeman chuckled at Alec's offhand comment, only infuriating him further. "Don't be so bitter, son. I've come to help you," he stated. He looked around the room, searching for something. "Tell me, where is 452? She really should be here for this."

Alec visibly tensed, moving to the edge of his seat. "Her _name_ is Max." Joshua whimpered at the mention of his 'Little Fella.'

"Father, Max is not here." Sandeman turned to Joshua, a puzzled expression on his features. "Max was...taken."

"I-I don't understand. Taken?" Sandeman silently prayed that he had been mistaken.

"They took her. Because of what you put in her DNA you sick fuck." Alec's voice was low, and even, but dictated far more than the words alone. Everything about the way he held himself now screamed 'danger.'

Sandeman looked genuinely shocked and horrified. "White has her?"

"Don't you mean your son?" Alec scoffed, a primal smirk playing on his lips.

"He hasn't been my son for a long time." Sandeman lowered his head, then raised it to meet Alec's gaze. "You know they have to keep her alive. Can you not take satisfaction in this?"

"With that sadistic son of a bitch's hands on her, she'd probably be better off dead." Alec's face fell and a lone tear streaked his cheek. He angrily wiped at it with the back of his hand, mentally reprimanding himself for bringing to mind Max's situation. "Do you know where they are?" he said softly, the previous rage more distant now, but not gone completely. It was always there, lurking in him somewhere.

Sandeman shook his head. "I'm sorry for that. No, I don't know where they are. There are so many places all over the country -the world- that they had when I was with them. And that was a long time ago, I'm afraid," he replied, smiling apologetically.

"Then what the hell did you come to tell us?" Alec was angry again, as was becoming a trend.

"The time for the Coming is near." His words were foreboding, but Alec only laughed in his face.

"The time for the Coming came and went, old man. The comet is long gone and didn't do shit."

"That is only what they wanted you to think. Comet," he shook his head once more. "You foolish boy, did none of you even look into the prophecies?" Sandeman's eyes had a strange twinkle.Like a mad scientist from one of those pre-pulse movies, Alec thought. When he'd processed the comparison, he almost laughed out loud at the irony. He is a mad scientist.

"So what the hell are you saying? They made up all the shit about the comet and the disease? Just to throw us off the trail?" Alec asked incredulously.

"That's exactly what I'm saying. The Coming, the real Coming is prophesied to occur in less than a month." Sandeman let the words hang in the air for Joshua and Alec to take in. "However, I happen to know that the Familiars will have difficulty with the enzyme they need from Max. It is a...very complicated procedure that will be needed. They could go ahead without it, but power hungry as they are, they will want the poison to be as potent as they can make it."

"You sound so damn proud of yourself." Alec stood up and began pacing around the room. "You Familiars and your damn egos." He spun on his heels to stand directly in front of Sandeman. "You are the reasonmy Maxie is gone." The old man examined him thoughtfully, his brows furrowed.

_His Maxie? Is this 494?_ Sandeman quickly schooled his features, trying not to let his satisfaction show through. "And for that I am truly sorry..."

"Sorry doesn't bring her back!" Alec wanted so badly to reach out and snap his neck, bring an end to the man who'd caused so much pain. _It would be tactically impractical_, the soldier within reminded him. _Screw tactics_. Alec reached out, pulling Sandeman up roughly by his suit jacket. "Why her? That's all I wanna know. Why Max!" Alec shouted, shaking the old man violently.

Joshua looked frantically back and forth between the two people that meant so much to him. He acted quickly, putting his strong arms around Alec, struggling to stop the attack.

"Alec stop! Father not take Max! Maybe know how to help!" Joshua's hold relaxed and Alec broke free, moving to stand a few feet away. "Listen, Medium Fella," Joshua said endearingly.

Alec closed his eyes, and once he reopened them, he was all business. "What is so special about Max? If the Coming wasn't when we thought it was, why did the runes disappear right after the comet did? What's this enzyme they want?" The questions rolled out rapidly and his mannerism dictated that he wanted answers now.

The old man sat in wonder at the sudden change in Alec's temperament for a few seconds before launching into his explanation. "The runes were on a timer, so to speak. They were only supposed to show up for a certain expanse of time, and then disappear, in the event of capture. Just long enough to get the message across."

Alec rudely interrupted. "So you put them in Ancient Minoan? We didn't even get to decipher everything before they were gone!"

Sandeman clucked his tongue. "All good things in time, son." Alec glared at him, but remained quiet. "Max is the Messenger. I designed her that way. But there were pieces of her DNA that I had nothing to do with. She was destined to be the One. The one that can stop the Coming." He paused as if in reverie. Taking a deep breath, he plowed on. "The enzyme is a Trojan horse, in a way. While she is alive, it proves to be the fatal end ingredient in the scourge described in the prophesies. Mixed with the pathogen the Familiars have created, if they get it while she still breathes, it will strengthen the sacred snake's venomous powers. Enough to kill anyone who is not a familiar. Even you, who I've given immunity."

"That's just fucking great. You gave them more power. Who's fucking side are you on?" Alec burst out as he resumed his pacing.

Sandeman continued as if Alec hadn't spoken. "The pathogen must be constantly replenished with fresh enzyme, which, as I mentioned, they can only get while Max is alive. If it is not replenished, once released, the pathogen will be absolutely harmless. But if the enzyme is gathered from Max's blood after death, the pathogen will be fatal to only the Familiars."

Alec and Joshua let the words sink in. Alec stopped cold, his breath catching in his throat. He rolled the words over in his mind, attempting to determine any other meaning they could have. _After death?_

"Joshua and Alec NOT let Max die, Father," Joshua said gruffly, letting his stance be known.

"And if it was the only way to stop the world from ending?" Sandeman looked pointedly at Alec who was standing still, his hands moving to form fists over and over again.

"Then we all die." Alec had an air of determination and authority. He would not be deterred.

"There is an ancient prophesy in our texts, one that has been cast aside because it tells what they did not want to hear. 'The One shall shed her blood for the world, the Warrior at her side. Her sacrifice will bring forth life from death, and the Warrior's cry shall bring an end to the Snake Children.'," Sandeman recited.

"I've had enough of the bullshit prophesies you cult freaks conjure up. I'll stick to what I can see and fight. You can either help, or get the hell out of my city." Green flames danced in Alec's eyes as he stared the old man down, daring him to argue.

Sighing, the man threw his hands up in a surrendering gesture. "I will do all that I can to bring her back to you. You have my word." Alec snorted and left the room with only a curt nod.

Sandeman smiled sadly, staring at the space Alec had just occupied. _You may not believe in the prophesies, but they most certainly believe in you, Warrior.

* * *

_

**To Be Continued

* * *

**

Author's Notes: As to Logan's non-paralysis gone paralyzed again: Due to Josh's transfusion, etc, Logan had regained full use of his legs (as seen in episodes after Hello, Goodbye and in the Max Collins DA books). I decided he shouldn't get to use 'em anymore - I'm sadistic, I know. The Comet was supposed to bring about The Coming in After the Dark. I didn't like that either, so I re-wrote it. Fits much better into my plan. The prophesies are completely made up out of my crazy mind. If something similar is used in any other story, I'm sorry for my lack of original thinking, but I truly believed it hadn't been done.


	11. Life From Death: The Sacrifice

Author's Note: I am really, really sorry about the delay in this update! The story has been written for a while, but it just hasn't gotten around to being beta'd (and still hasn't, but I decided I'd post it anyways, so...all mistakes are MINE, lol). There were many circumstances in my life that have been just hitting me like a ton of bricks, so I hadn't gotten a chance to really work on it. I hope it's worth the wait! 

_

* * *

_

_Previously in LET

* * *

_

_"Alec, Joshua has good news!" His canine features lit up with excitement. "Father's here!" _

_"So what the hell are you saying? They made up all the shit about the comet and the disease? Just to throw us off the trail?" Alec asked incredulously. _

_"That's exactly what I'm saying. The Coming, the _real_ Coming is prophesied to occur in less than a month...The pathogen must be constantly replenished with fresh enzyme, which, as I mentioned, they can only get while Max is alive. If it is not replenished, once released, the pathogen will be absolutely harmless. But if the enzyme is gathered from Max's blood after death, the pathogen will be fatal to only the Familiars." _

_"There is an ancient prophesy in our texts, one that has been cast aside because it tells what they did not want to hear. 'The One shall shed her blood for the world, the Warrior at her side. Her sacrifice will bring forth life from death, and the Warrior's cry shall bring an end to the Snake Children.'," Sandeman recited. _

_"I've had enough of the bullshit prophesies you cult freaks conjure up. I'll stick to what I can see and fight. You can either help, or get the hell out of my city." Green flames danced in Alec's eyes as he stared the old man down, daring him to argue. _

_Sandeman smiled sadly, staring at the space Alec had just occupied. _You may not believe in the prophesies, but they most certainly believe in you, Warrior

* * *

_Chapter Eleven: Life From Death: The Sacrifice_

* * *

Two Weeks later...(Week #8 of Max's capture) 

In a dark room in the Familiar's compound, a girl was hanging from the ceiling in shackles. Her eyes were closed, fluttering beneath their lids. A man watched with a morbid intensity as her body shook and she whimpered at the sights her dreams bring.

_She is walking, dirty and battered through the streets of a city. Thousands upon thousands of dead bodies, human and those not so human, are piled unceremoniously on either side of her like so much garbage for as far as she can see. She can hear marching and turns to watch the scene with horror as it unfolds before her. White and the others that have tested and prodded her walk, heads held high, in a procession, each of them an icon of power. Hatred and fear surge through her as she sees the malevolent force that has taken over _her_ world. _

_She casts her gaze around, realizing that she now stands in front of a row of bodies. Familiar faces litter the disarray, but she can't remember to whom they belong. As she walks down the sidewalk, taking in the terrible sight, she feels some unknown force pulling her to a particular spot. She stops cold as shivers work their way up her now erect spine. At her feet are two men, one old and one young. Examining the men more closely, she begins to sob as she sees those bright hazel eyes one of the few links to her past dulled by the glaze of death; both men, young and old, are dead. Falling to her feet, the tears run rivers down her face as she caresses the young man's pale cheek affectionately. In awe over how he can look so beautiful even in death, she barely notices the tingling in her hands. She pulls her arm back in shock as strange markings begin to appear, as if by magic, on her arms, almost covering them entirely. To her surprise she can read the foreign symbols. "Your sacrifice..."_

* * *

"Wakey, wakey, 452," came the chilling voice, ripping her away from one nightmare and bringing her to another. Cold water splashed on her face and she sputtered, opening her eyes to see the sneering face of White above her. As much as he'd been enjoying witnessing the effects her tortured mind was having on her sleep, he found her being awake to be much more...satisfying. 

Her brown eyes widened in fear. Once those eyes had been full of fire and life, but were now dulled by the weeks of intensive torture. The girl struggled in her chains, angling her neck so she could see her arms. She searched for the markings and found nothing. _Where did they go?_ she wondered. The past week had brought many dreams and bits of memories. It was gettting difficult for her to tell the difference between her dreams and reality because both were so vivid. Sometimes, when she dreamt of _him_, she chose to believe in the lies her mind created. It was better to be anywhere than where she was. She shook her head imperceptibly. _A good soldier makes the best of the situation they are given. I don't have time for this sentimentality,_ she mentally chastized herself.

Ames White observed her struggle and puzzled face with dark delight. "Looking for something, 452?"

She levelled her head, staring at him blankly. "No." The first time someone had called her by her designation, she hadn't responded; she'd had an inkling that her designation, X5-452, was not really what she should answer too. Now she knew the truth, and since then, she'd never made the mistake of forgetting. She couldn't remember much of anything before this place of blood and torture. The things she did remember were clouded in fog; hazel eyes that seemed to fill her with emotions she didn't recognize everytime they came to mind, _And a face now, too,_ she breifly thought, remembering her dream. Along with few incomphrensible memories and the things her commanding officers had told her, that was all she had. According to her superiors, she was a special operations soldier with genetically enhanced abilities; a transgenic. She was being punished for allowing a young boy, her commanding officer's son, to be killed during a mission she'd commanded. Her CO, White, had full autonomy over what happened to her now; he'd made it clear that the loss of his son would not be taken lightly.

"No what, soldier?" White smirked, his eyes glinting in amusement at the painful expressions that flickered over 452's face.

"No, Sir," 452 ground out as flashes of memories assaulted her mind, not for the first time. Herself as a child, dressed in army camoflauge, running through the woods with other children. Doing weapons drills outside a large building. She growled incoherently as the jumble continued. She was seated in a classroom watching a slideshow. 'Mission.' 'Duty.' 'Discipline.' The words repeated endlessly in her mind, until she was reciting them aloud.

White listened intently. She'd been so hard for him to break, even when she'd lost most of her memories. But after her trip to the lab, she'd been ...domesticated for the most part. _Mostly when it doesn't concern me,_ he smirked, congratulating himself on a job well done.

* * *

One week earlier

"452, my people tell me that we have recovered an...interesting piece of equipment from your childhood home," White said as he wheeled a heavily restrained Max down another blaring white corridor. "Go to hell," Max spat, struggling against the thick leather straps. It was no use, she had little to no strength in her body after weeks of unrelenting torture.

White simply laughed and pushed her into a room that was different from the others she'd been in. She observed her surroundings with scrutiny. It was a medical room, but unlike the observed laboratory. Suppressing an involuntary shudder, she continued to survey the room. Her eyes fell upon a reclined chair with a strangely familiar looking machine situated over it. Though she didn't know why it was so familiar to her, it filled her with an oppressing fear. "More tests, White?" she asked through gritted teeth.

She received no verbal answer. Instead, several attendents held her down and undid her straps. She resisted as best she could, but in her state, she was no match for even one of the men. They lifted her up and into the chair, struggling to keep their grip as she flailed and screamed. Whatever it was, if they were in charge, it couldn't be good.

"What's the matter 452? This thing's like an old friend to you," he goaded, gesturing to the apparatus above her. Max tried to curse at him, but her mouth was filled with a gag as soon as she opened it. Her head was strapped so there was nowhere to look except dead ahead as the red laser beamed into her iris.

"Good old Manticore." White smiled in evil satisfaction as Max's pained, muffled screams pierced the silence of the room.

* * *

Present

When she had emerged from the room, the attitude from before had slipped away completely. Several men attended to and informed her about her situation, giving her the story that she now somewhat believed. They gave her orders and she obliged. She was a soldier. She was X5-452, a picture of obedience. Until Ames White had appeared. She'd become feral, all thoughts of duty and aquiescence to her superiors, as she knew them, gone. It had taken six men to pull her off of him, even in her weakened state. It became quickly apparent that though the Psy-Ops trick had worked, there was something a bit off about 452. A soldier, but also something more dark, more primal than she'd ever been. The Familiar doctors said that she'd lost pieces of her sanity that she might never regain. And that was quite alright with Ames White.

"Missiondutydiscipline," 452 muttered quickly with a low breath. Stopping abruptly, she looked up at White, blank faced once again, something in her mind having clicked. "Permission to speak, sir?"

White almost did a double take at the sudden change in her demeanor. Since her initial attack on him she'd fought him every step, mentally and physically. Now she was asking him questions as if he'd been her commanding officer for years. "Permission granted."

"What was my mission? The one I failed in?" "It is classified and, given your current status," he said, pausing to glare at her disapprovingly, "it has been decided that the information will remain classified. From you."

452 nodded resignedly, lowering her head in shame. "Did, did your son," she sputtered, afraid of what her question may bring. "Did he have hazel eyes?"

White spun on his heel, punching her in stomach with no warning. 452 coughed and sputtered, trying to regain her ability to breath.

Her captor gripped her chin in his hands, using excessive force to bring up her gaze to meet his. "Let me tell you something about yourself.. Something about those hazel eyes of yours," he ground out. The look in his eyes sent chills down 452's spine. "Your blood is toxic. It will destroy human life as you know it, as well as all those like you. Transgenics," he said, spitting the last word out as if it had left a foul taste in his mouth. "Everyone you know somewhere in that fucked up little head of yours that you care about but can't remember, will be dead. You're precious hazel-eyed man will be among the bodies." He observed her calculatingly, satisfied with the fear that washed over her battered features. "_You_ are going to kill him."

Her eyes widened as White pick up a blade from a metal tray on a table next him. "No, no, no," she breathed. She had no trouble remembering the torture that he'd put her through during the past week especially, and blanched as he walked forward.

"The medical staff needs tissue samples," he said, a chilling emptiness to his tone. _That's true enough._ He drew the blade slowly and torturously across the skin on her stomach. Blood welled to the surface and flowed down her body in thin crimson rivers.

452 shrieked and stared in utter horror as White finished his first incision. He brought forth tweezers, seemingly from out of nowhere, and began the torturous procedure of 'taking' samples. He slipped the 'sample' in a ziploc bag, and moved to repeat the process, revelling in the whimpers being ellicited from the frightened girl.

Looking at the numerous plastic bags that now littered the table he was filled with evil satisfaction. _5 tissue samples they needed?_ White thought. _Always was one for overkill.

* * *

_

Joshua stood outside the cell, looking in the bar-slatted window. He shook his head back and forth, his long hair going wild as he growled in frustration at the man who'd caused so many problems, all out of jealousy and selfish pride. Inside the cell, Logan was huddled on the cot, looking around with the eyes of a mad man. Ever since Father had returned, Alec had stepped up his 'interrogation methods';whatever semblence of sanity Logan had retained was no more.

All of Terminal City knew that their leader had been pushing hard to get everything done himself. He'd strained himself so much that he had not, given his words to Mole in the mess hall, paid any attentiong to the team of Xs that had followed him on every recon mission since Max had been taken. Or to the fact that all his leads were checked and doublechecked by Dix and Luke. Or that there was always someone watching him when he eventually let his guard down enough to sleep. For a while, instead of channelling all the pain into something useful, something productive, like Alec usually did, it had turned to hate and rage; and it had blinded him.

An incident two weeks ago had brought his mistake into the light, and since then, he'd been improving. Mole and Joshua had cornered him after they'd walked in on him passed out on his desk, 5 empty bottles of scotch on the floor. They had both shown him the error of his ways.

* * *

Flashback

"Alec not helping Max by drinking," Joshua pointed out simply. "Not helping anyone. Not even helping Alec." Alec glared at the two transhumans for having dared to rouse and confront him.

"You need to pull yourself out of this before it's too late. For any of us." Mole's face was serious, no usual joking demeanor evident. He absently blew a cloud of smoke into Alec's face. "This isn't the 494 that I know. The 494 I know would be using anything and anyone to get to his girl. Not to mention that whole saving the world thing. You can't do that on your own, and you know it."

Joshua sighed. "Time for tricks and treats Alec. Be strong. Be a soldier."

End Flashback

* * *

Alec had been better lately, more like the soldier he was meant to be. He delegated out responsibilites, handed out orders. Joshua knew that it was what had to be done for Alec to get through this with his mind intact, and the visits to basement were his way of letting out the emotion without compromising the mission. He knew how bad his friend was hurting, even if it was it wasn't blatantly obvious anymore, and Joshua couldn't help but feel responsible in some way.

_Joshua's fault,_ the canine man thought.. He blamed himself for not getting to her in time, for not being there when she needed him. He knew it was pointless, the same thing would have happened in the end, but he just couldn't shake away the feeling of guilt. So instead of trying to push it away, he avenged his loss on the cause of everything; Logan.

It wasn't often that he came here, to the basement, but it was enough to help him cope with the pain just a little. _Joshua not get mad, get even,_ he thought, remembering something he'd heard Original Cindy say. Joshua was ripped from his musings as he heard Logan's voice. He was jabbering to himself, as was usual these days. Usually the babbling was incoherent, but today... Joshua listened intently as he heard _her_ name.

"Max, things are not the way they should be. You should be with me," Logan paused for a minute, as if listening for a response. "They're hurting you? It's okay, I'll help you," he said, dragging his hand across his flat pillow as if it were alive. "That bastard. He said he wouldn't hurt you, use you to get what he needed, then let you go so you could be with _me_. The way it was _meant_ to be." He paused again, replying to the apparent silence. "No, I don't know where you are."

Joshua's eyes narrowed as he realized Logan believed that he was actually having a _conversation_ with Max. He pushed his ear to the door as Logan continued, not wanting to miss a word.

Logan smiled as he spoke again. "But I do know how to find out. I'm Eyes Only, of course I know." Joshua's big brown eyes openened in shock as he realized what the other man had just said.

_More credit than given to him. He did not tell,_ Joshua mused angrily.

"My cellphone, the one with all my contacts..." Logan lowered his voice to a hoarse whisper. "White's untraceable number is there." He grinned proudly and then frowned. "Yes, I know where _that_ is. Max, don't get mad." Logan held his hands up in mock defense. "My cell-phone...it's..." he paused and looked at the wall sheepishly. "It's at Asha's."

Without waiting to hear anymore, Joshua pushed himself off the wall and ran with amazing speed for someone his size. Though the ramblings of a insane man, there could be truth in them. If there was, this information could prove invaluable. _Have to tell Alec,_ he thought as he ran. He didn't stop running until he'd reached HQ.

* * *

White had long ago left 452 alone in her cell, still hanging from the ceiling. Her bleeding had slowed from the various cuts and open wounds, but had not yet stopped completely. She drifted in and out of consciousness until finally sleep claimed her. Once more, the dream returned.

_The scene plays out as it did before. Again she sees the bodies of those fallen and is filled with dread as somehow she knows she helped cause their demise. The multitude of people she'd seen at her new base again march in a steady procession and she picks out those harsh icy eyes from the din. She comes upon the row of dead and sees the faces of the two men. She rushes to the hazel-eyed man's side in tears, this time pulling him up into her arms. "Why did you die?" she asked, not expecting an answer. The tingling in her hands and arms begins and intensifies. Pulling back from the dead man, she looks at her arms and gasps as she reads the small foreign symbols. 'You are the key. Your sacrifice will bring forth life from death.' _

_"Why! Why me? I can't remember. WHY?" she pleads to no one, anyone. _

_A whispered voice is carried to her in the wind as she sobs for all things lost; _Let this not come to pass.

_The scene changes, melting away after the voice has spoken. Humans and transgenics previously dead, are alive. The transgenics stand in a wide circle around something she cannot see. She pushes through the din and finds herself face to face with...herself. She sees her body on the ground, blood pooling from her stomach. The older white-haired gentlemen who is balanced on a cane stands with the hazel-eyed man. He collapses next to her, sobs wracking his body. _

_The voice whispers again, repeating the words written on her arm: _Your sacrifice will bring forth life from death

452's eyes opened, adjusting to the pitch black of the room. Her breathing came in short, ragged gasps as she recovers from her dream. _Will my death keep them alive? Will it keep Hazel-Eyes alive?_ Suddenly, her body went deathly still and her breathing became shallow and even. A fierce, animalistic fire took up residence in her eyes and she smiled wickedly. _I have a new mission, now, White.

* * *

_

Dix's fingers flew over the keyboard as he set up the lock on the signal they'd gotten from the number on Logan's phone. Asha had been less than pleased when Alec had burst into her apartment with Mole and Joshua, demanding to know where Logan's cellphone was. Despite slight resistance, they'd gotten what they wanted. Luke had almost laughed when he'd searched the phone for the number and found an entry labelled 'Black.' He speculated that Logan hadn't had much of his sanity left to lose even before Alec had broken him, if he would put White's number under such an obvious antonym.

"We're in," Dix announced to the room of tense transgenics.

Mole mumbled something around his cigar that sounded like, "Untraceable my ass," and puffed a large cloud of grey smoke into the air.

"Whenever he uses that phone, we'll be able to lock it down within a 20 mile radius." Alec snorted in response.

"20 miles? That's as close as we can lock it down?" he asked impatiently, his arms crossed against his chest.

"It's better than what we've got right now," Luke shrugged.

"All we can do right now is waHoly Shit!" Dix exclaimed as a message popped up on the computer screen declaring that the signal was in use.

Alec rushed to his side, staring at the screen in disbelief. A blob of red covered a map and was slowly reducing as the signal remained locked in. "Texas?" he asked, his eyes wide. "They're in Texas?"

The signal abruptly shut off, leaving a red area that was 60 miles in radius. "You said 20 miles, Dix. That's not 20," Alec stated, ticking his fingers rapidly on the desk.

"Given enough time, it would be. We'll just have to wait until he uses the phone again," Dix explained apologetically.

"Fine." Alec turned away from the computer and approached Mole. "Have four teams geared up and ready for whenever we know anything more." Mole nodded in understanding but made no move to leave. "_Now_, Mole. Unless you want to get me angry." His voice was dangerously low, and Mole ignored the cold emotionless glare at his back as he left.

"Right, 'cause you angry is a new development," he muttered as he turned into the hallway.

After Mole had left, Alec faced Sandeman. "You know anywhere in Texas the Familiar's have a base?" he demanded.

Sandeman shook his head. "They didn't have a base in Texas when I was with them."

"Dammit!" He leaned against the wall closest to him. "We don't have time for this," he said, his voice catching in his throat. "We only have a few weeks left until they don't need her anymore. And then we'll all be dead." He blinked back the stinging tears from his eyes. _Now is not the time to sulk, soldier! _Do_ something about it!_ He pushed the emotions far to the back of his conciousness, phasing them out until there was almost nothing left.

The occupants of headquartes eyed him warily, still not sure which Alec they were going to be dealing with. Joshua came over and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "He'll use it again, Alec. Then we go save Max."

Alec looked up at him, his soldier's mask underlied by a breif glimmer of hope that was quickly squelched. "I hope you're right, Joshua. I hope you're right."

No one slept that night, for fear of missing the signal that would show them where their lost leader was, and where the apocolypse would begin.

* * *

452 had been hanging in the same spot for three days, letting the lab techs poke and prod her like a good little soldier. She answered every question they asked to the best of her ability and followed every order given to her. They'd been feeding her, albeit meagerly, and giving her time to heal so she'd be ready to give a brand new batch of blood for replenishing their pathogen. They'd even clothed her for the first time since she'd arrived. Angry red welts could still be seen all over her body where she'd been cut and beaten. Her lack of nutrients had eaten away at her fat reserves, and she was near skin and bones. They hadn't bathed her and blood and sweat still matted her hair and streaked her body. But even in her weakened state, she was still stronger and faster than all the guards and medtechs in the room.

Large hands insterted a key into the shakles at her wrists, and another at her feet. She'd been so obedient and convincing over the past few days that one bold lab tech had managed to convince the others that she was no longer a risk. They were now letting her out of her restraints so she could move around in her cell; one main perk of this for the guards - they didn't have to feed her this time.

She stretched with a feline languidity, shaking off the effects of not being able to stand on her feet for weeks. One would think that her legs would be near atrophy, but her enhanced genetics had allowed her to heal wonderfully in the past few days. She was by no means, up to her full potential, but she was strong enough. An instinct that had been long hidden in her had been aroused and was poised to strike. She was just waiting for the right moment to make her move.

The door to her cell swung open as an attendant carrying a tray of food entered. 452 rubbed her wrists and arched her back, the guards watching her intently. She cocked her head to the side, seeing them eyeing her with interest. She closed her eyes and wriggled her body, seeming to attempt getting the kinks out of her weary bones. Her lids fluttered open enough to see that she had everyone's full attention and that the door was still wide open. She moved to take a step back and swayed, falling backwards as if she was too weak to stand. The closest man, the lab tech that was responsible for her release from the chains, reached out without thinking to catch her. Her full lips twisted into a dark smile as her hands clasped around his head above her. With one quick flick of her wrists, she heard the satisfying crunch of his neck snapping beneath her fingers.

Before any of the others had even realized what had happened, she made her next move. Her hands splayed behind her on the floor, she kicked out, wrapping her legs around the neck of a guard in front of her and quickly eliminated the threat. _Two more to go,_ said the ever-fading logical voice in her mind. She curled her body in a motion almost too quick to follow, throwing her feet over her head, somersaulting backwards. On her way up, she'd grabbed the fallen guard's weapons, saving the gun for later use; it would only attract unwanted attention that she couldn't afford. The knives, however, would prove useful. She loosely gripped the handle of the bowie knife as she blurred forward with speed she hadn't even known she possessed. One quick draw of the blade and another guard was down. Flipping the knife around in her hand and balancing the blade between her fingers, she sent the knife flying, end over end, to land in the chest of the final guard.

Her slender fingers pulled off the lab tech's identification badge before she slipped silently out into the corridor. She closed the heavy steel door behind her and crept like the felines that had donated her their DNA. As she rolled her eyes up to the ceiling, she grinned ferally. Propelling herself upward, she climbed into the ventilation shaft. The smells assaulting her nose told her which way was out and she moved through the small tunnels with ease and efficiency.

After 20 minutes, she was breathing in deep the fresh air that flowed in from the grate leading to the outside world. Pushing it aside, she jumped to the ground and blurred toward the gate with a speed and grace that would have warrented looks of awe if anyone had seen it. To the cameras on the roof, she was only a glitch in the picture. She knew it wouldn't be long before her escape was made known. She'd just gone AWOL and some part of her realized how wrong that was. But another, less prominent part also realized that what had been done to her was nowhere near military protocol. She launched herself over the tall steel fence effortlessly and began to follow the road that led north-west. As she ran there was only one thought in her mind. Her handlers had told her that her home base, the transgenic special operatives' base, had been in Seattle, Washington. She'd been transferred from there after her mission failure.

She knew she couldn't run all the way to Washington, but she was going to put as much space between herself and her captors as she could. The feel of the wind through her hair, and the adrenaline coursing through her veins was exhilarating, and would get her far enough away that she could risk hitching a ride, or acquiring transportation on her own.

_I'm going home._ The thought delighted her even though she couldn't remember what home looked like, or who or what was waiting there for her. _I'm going home.

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**To Be Continued...**

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Please Read and Review :) 


	12. Home Sweet Home

**

* * *

Previously in LET

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_According to her superiors, she was a special operations soldier with genetically enhanced abilities; a transgenic. She was being punished for allowing a young boy, her commanding officer's son, to be killed during a mission she'd commanded. Her CO, White, had full autonomy over what happened to her now; he'd made it clear that the loss of his son would not be taken lightly. _

_"Everyone you know somewhere in that fucked up little head of yours that you care about but can't remember, will be dead. You're precious hazel-eyed man will be among the bodies." He observed her calculatingly, satisfied with the fear that washed over her battered features. "You are going to kill him."_

'You are the key. Your sacrifice will bring forth life from death.'

_A fierce, animalistic fire took up residence in her eyes and she smiled wickedly. _I have a new mission, now, White.

_"Texas?" he asked, his eyes wide. "They're in Texas?" _

I'm going home._ The thought delighted her even though she couldn't remember what home looked like, or who or what was waiting there for her._ I'm going home.

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**Chapter Twelve: Home Sweet Home_

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_**

452 pulled the jet black motorcycle up to the curb and parked about two blocks from her destination. She carefully surveyed the area to assess any potential threat. Having caught a glimpse of herself in the rearview mirror during her two days of traveling, she knew it wouldn't do for her to be seen - battered and bloody as she was.

Though she dimly realized that perhaps she should've found somewhere to wash up during her journey, she hadn't wanted to waste any time in getting as far from the base in Amarillo as she possibly could. She remembered seeing the roadside sign as she ran - 'Now Leaving Amarillo.' _Remind me never to come to Texas on vacation,_ she'd thought sarcastically.

About eight miles outside of the city, she'd found an old beat-up mustang that had been left running outside a convenience store. She had swiftly relieved the owner of his car and it had taken her a good distance - until Washington. She'd made it into Yakima and the car had broken down outside an impound yard. There she had found the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen - or at least that she could _remember_ seeing.

She'd dispensed with her clunker of a car and jumped the fence of the impound, intent on retrieving the beauty before her. She ran her hand along the smooth black surface of the bike with reverence and was almost litteraly thrown backwards by the images that pounded into her mind; a vision of her riding an identical motorcycle, racing with the hazel-eyed man through the streets of a city. She'd quickly decided she _had_ to have it.

Now, as she prepared to leave the bike, she found herself feeling a sense of grief. She'd only had it for a short time - a day - and yet it felt as if it were a part of her.

After her eyes roved over the area, she found some paper and cardboard and quickly set about obscuring the bike from view. _I'll be back for _you She proudly looked at her work and, once satisfied, left to stalk with ease through the city toward the gates of her home; Terminal City as she'd heard it called in the news on the mustang's radio. _Strange name for a military base._

The high wire fence loomed ahead and her heart thumped with excitement and fear. She somehow knew that this was her home - where she should be. But what her handlers at Amarillo had told her still weighted heavily on her; what if these people didn't _want_ her because of her failure?

She pushed aside the thoughts with a shake of her head. _Negative thinking like that is what will get you killed on the field,_ she mentally reprimanded. With one last quick glance around to make sure no one was watching, including the sentries posted in various spots around the fence, she bent her legs and pushed up from the ground, vaulting over the obstacle. It still somewhat amazed her that she could do such a thing, and yet, strange as it was, it felt so natural.

452 crept through alleyways and between buildings, searching for the base's headquarters. After less than ten minutes of searching, she saw a large six story building that seemed to be the center of activity. _Man, the handlers told me about this. They aren't human_ she thought after seeing several decidedly non-human 'people' walk into and out of the command center. _These are _my_ people,_ she reminded herself, remembering the dream. _None of us are human._

After a while, all the hustle and bustle seemed to die down a bit, dozens having gone inside the building. _I'm just in time._ "Don't start the meeting without me," she muttered aloud. She began to walk towards headquarters, intent on finding someone in charge, as her training dictated. As she moved closer to the building, the wind brought a familiar scent to her nose. She turned her nose into the wind, breathing the smell in deeply. _Threat_, her instinct told her. Something inside of her seemed to take over, just as it had done when she'd escaped. Her movements took on a more feline form as she slinked around the side of the building to an open window halfway in the ground, her nose guiding her.

Effortlessly she slid in the window, landing with inhuman grace on a hard concrete floor. She was in the basement of the command center. Her eyes darted back and forth across the hallway, taking in every minute detail. The bars covering the small windows in every door. A lone guard looking rather bored standing outside one of them. _A prison._ She closed her eyes and inhaled the scent again. Knowing the guard was not a threat, only an obstacle to her target, she blurred forward in a flurry of motion and delivered a harsh blow to his jaw, sending him to the floor. Seeing he wasn't down for the count yet, she swung her boot and it connected with the back of his head, rendering him unconscious. A set of keys dangled from his pocket and she lithely bent down to grab them, then tried each key in the lock to the door.

As soon as she pushed open the door, the familiar scent pervaded her nostrils, sending her body into a frenzy of fear, hatred, and pure revulsion. The gun that she had taken from the guard in Amarillo was in her hands before she could think, and she trained it on the man hunched over in front of her. Her hands shook ever so slightly as she clicked off the safety. The small sound made the man turn to face her. He looked at her curiously, seemingly completely oblivious to the gun aimed at his head.

"Max? I knew you'd come for me." His eyes lit up as he looked at her in delight. "You're hurt," he stated simply as he saw the streaks of dried blood adorning her face and arms.

"Who are you?" she demanded with authority. Though she couldn't remember who he was, seeing him made her skin crawl and the hair on her neck stand on end.

His jaw dropped and he stared back at her indignantly - as indignantly as he could, given his discheveled malnutrioned appearance. "You know who I am! I'm Logan. Don't you remember, Max?"

_Who's Max?_ some part of her wondered. The more dominant personality told her this man was dangerous and the threat needed to be quickly eliminated. She stared at him with eyes of cold granite and wordlessly squeezed the trigger.

* * *

Joshua stalked angrily down the first floor corridor of HQ. White hadn't been using his cellphone recently and the area wasn't narrowed enough for them to send in a team. They had a team waiting on the outskirts of Texas for orders, but they still didn't have a _location_, and Joshua was restless and at a loss for what to do. Emotions raged inside of him as he rounded the corner and descended the steps into the basement. All his senses immediately went on alert as he saw the fallen guard sprawled in the hallway outside Logan's cell, the door wide open. He caught the scent of blood and ran

"Who are you?" came the voice that he knew well and held so dear - Max. She sounded so detatched and confused. _Why doesn't she remember Logan? Why is she **here**._ He came to a skidding halt just outside the door and saw Max, a gun trained on Logan. Her whole body was quivering and Joshua could smell her fear - taste it. She was scared to death.

He saw her finger twitch on the trigger, and knew that he had to stop her; though in all reality, he wished he would've killed the man himself long ago. He lunged forward, tackling her to the floor just a millisecond after she pulled the trigger. The blast reverberated off the stone walls, growing until it sounded much louder than it should have.

Logan let out a pained scream as the bullet grazed the left side of his head, doing little damage in the long run. He began to mumble almost incoherently again; "Why Max? Why would you hurt me? I _love_ you." His babbling was ignored by Joshua who was currently trying to keep the very angry brunnette from throwing him aside and finishing the job.

"What the hell are you doing? He's dangerous!" she yelled, trying to push against the solid mass holding her down. She glanced up and the second she saw his face, she stopped struggling, and the primal force relinquished its hold on her. "Do I know you?" she questioned softly, confusion evident on her face.

Joshua was puzzled. "Of course you know me, little fella. I'm Joshua."

_You were _dead_ in my dream,_ she thought with a shudder as all the faces of the dead haunted her yet again. "I had a dream about you when I was...where I was transferred." 452 spoke the last few words in a whisper, desperately trying to hold back the memories and emotions associated with her recent stay in Texas.

The canine man eyed her with concern. "Transferred? Did you bump your head when Joshua tackled you?" _Max not remember capture?_

"Hey, look, I'll answer whatever you want me to if you get off me and show me where I can wash up." Joshua sighed heavily and raised himself up, offering her a hand, which she refused. Before she'd made it halfway to a standing position, however, her legs buckled beneath her. "Damn, I musta used up too much of what little strength I had," she muttered under her breath. Joshua offered her a hand again and this time she took it - grudgingly. She quickly tucked the gun into the hem of her pants, the handle resting at the small of her back.

Once she'd stood up, Joshua was for the first time able to actually look at her. She was severely undernourished, her bones painfully obvious beneath her skin. Fading scars, some more recent than others, littered nearly every visible patch of skin and blood was caked in her hair and on her face. "Poor Maxie," he whispered, wanting to reach out to her but afraid at the same time.

"Whatever, I don't have time for this." She dusted dirt off of the seat of her pants as she walked out the door. Looking back over her shoulder, she said, "You gonna show me where the bathroom is, or do I have to find it myself?" She threw one last glare in Logan's direction before turning and walking off, Joshua scurrying after her, making sure the door was locked behind him. _I _will_ be coming back for him,_ she silently vowed.

"I'll show you." _Can't let others -especially Alec- see Little Fella like this,_ he reasoned as he caught up.

They trudged up the stairs, side by side, Joshua checking to make sure that no one saw Max. As they rounded a corner of the upstairs hallway toward the bathroom, she was pushed forcefully back as someone ran into her. "What the hell is your - ?" The rest of her words were swept away in a tide of emotions as she came face to face with a dream. "Hazel-Eyes," 452 whispered in awe. _He's alive. And **here**._ The urge to touch him, to make sure he was real, overwhelmed her. Slowly, as if in a daze, she brought her hand up to his cheek and the sensation was almost too much for her to handle.

Alec's eyes widened in surprise as he saw her. "Max, oh my god." He looked to Joshua for an explanation, but received only a shrug in answer. "I - I heard the gunshot, and I thought someone had finally had enough of that bastard. But, - " he stopped mid-sentence and a worried expression washed over his features. "Oh my god, Max, are you okay?" _Stupid question. Just _look_ at her, dumbass!_ Alec's breath hitched in his throat as he took it all in, all the damage done to her body. After a few minutes of shared surprised looks, Alec's initial shock faded and he reached out and pulled her into a loving embrace. "Damn, you had me so worried," he said into her hair, not caring that the dried blood was staining his cheek.

452 froze under his touch. _He's hugging me. Why is he hugging me?_ She gingerly pulled herself away, suddenly perplexed by how wrong it felt to _not_ be in his arms. "I - I'm sorry you were worried. Why, exactly, were you worried?" _What, what'd I say?_ she wondered as Hazel-Eyes gaped at her as if she'd just called him every obscenity known to man.

"Why - ?" Alec couldn't find the words. Again he sought Joshua's gaze for any sign that he knew what was going on, but again, found nothing. "Um...because...I didn't know where you were. And you're hurt." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Let's get you to the infirmary, okay?"

They all started walking, and Alec saw Max's legs shake with the effort. Without even realizing what he was doing, he put an arm around her, steadying her. _What the hell is going on?_ **

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**To Be Continued...

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Lemme know what you thought :) Hope you enjoyed :)**  
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	13. Forgotten, But Some Things Never Change

**The Light at the End of the Tunnel

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_Previously in LET

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_

_She began to walk towards headquarters, intent on finding someone in charge, as her training dictated. As she moved closer to the building, the wind brought a familiar scent to her nose. She turned her nose into the wind, breathing the smell in deeply. __Threat_, her instinct told her. Something inside of her seemed to take over, just as it had done when she'd escaped. 

_Her hands shook ever so slightly as she clicked off the safety. The small sound made the man turn to face her. He looked at her curiously, seemingly completely oblivious to the gun aimed at his head. _

_"Max? I knew you'd come for me." _

_"Who are you?" _

_"You know who I am! I'm Logan. Don't you remember, Max?"_

Who's Max?_ some part of her wondered. The more dominant personality told her this man was dangerous and the threat needed to be quickly eliminated. She stared at him with eyes of cold granite and wordlessly squeezed the trigger. _

_They trudged up the stairs, side by side, Joshua checking to make sure that no one saw Max. As they rounded a corner of the upstairs hallway toward the bathroom, she was pushed forcefully back as someone ran into her. "What the hell is your - ?" The rest of her words were swept away in a tide of emotions as she came face to face with a dream. "Hazel-Eyes," 452 whispered in awe.

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**Chapter Thirteen: Forgotten, But Some Things Never Change**

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Alec sat beside Max on the small cot in the infirmary, listening intently as Mira explained what tests needed to be run. Mira's face held sincere concern as she took in the sight in front of her. Seeing her leader reduced to such a fragile state was heart breaking, however glad she was to have Max back.

Alec glanced over at Joshua who was leaning on the far wall, and saw Joshua's large paw of a hand move subtley, beckoning him. After laying his hand reassuringly on Max's arm, he stood and walked to join his friend.

"What is it, Josh?" Alec whispered, stealing occasional glances in Max's direction.

"Alec, I don't know...well..." Joshua paused, looking for the right words, "Max still not Max. Not really." Alec looked at him inquisitively and opened his mouth to speak, but Joshua cut him off with a shake of his head. "She doesn't remember."

"Doesn't remember what exactly?" Alec asked, his brows furrowing in confusion.

"Doesn't remember _us_."

Alec let his lids slide shut as he tried to process the information. "That would explain a few things. Kind of a post-traumatic stress thing?" He remembered the way she'd looked at him and called him 'Hazel-Eyes' and shook his head in disbelief. "No, that can't be right. She looked like she remembered me, at least a little," he amended, clinging to the thin thread of hope that was threatening to break.

Joshua looked skyward as if begging a deity to give his friend some sense. "Alec, she remembers that she _knows_ us, but not who we _are_. She knew Logan was bad, but didn't remember who he was. That's why she tried to - " Joshua's eyes widened and his mouth clamped shut.

"Josh? What is it?" Alec's curiosity was piqued. _What did she try to do to Logan? _After several moments of silence, Alec spoke again. "Josh," he asked. "What happened in the basement?"

"Um..Max tried to shoot Logan." Now it was Alec's eyes that widened.

"Tried. You mean she didn't shoot him?" Part of him was relieved that Max wouldn't have Logan's death on her conscience. But a disturbingly large portion of himself was sorely disappointed.

"No, Max didn't shoot Logan. Well...kind of," Joshua said, perplexed at how to explain what had happened.

"How do you 'kind of' shoot someone?" Alec whispered, beginning to get impatient for an explanation, but still somewhat amused.

"Bullet just...grazed Logan's head. He's fine. Not fatal," Joshua replied, expecting to see Alec relieved.

_Not fatal_, Alec repeated in his mind._ Damn_. "So, wait a minute, you're telling me that - " His words caught in his throat as a high pitched shriek rang out from behind him. He quickly turned and saw Max scrambling over the hospital bed. She fell to crouch behind it, never taking her eyes off the doctor.

"What the hell did you do to her, Mira?" Alec boomed, rushing over to Max's side.

Mira shook her head, a sad expression on her face. "Alec, I didn't do anything, except try to give her an extra-strength antibiotic." She held the needle in her open palm, proving her point.

Alec looked back and forth confusedly between the two women, his hand absentmindedly stroking Max's hair. Upon Mira's presentation of the needle, Max began to whimper and shake.

"Shit." Alec closed his eyes, realizing what had spooked Max so much. "Is there anyway you can do that without a needle?" Mira shook her head and Alec cursed under his breath. Crouching down beside Max, he whispered to her, "Hey, you okay?" Max didn't respond, still refusing to take her eyes off of the needle. "Hey," he said a little bit louder. Alec watched as she looked at him with frightened brown eyes. "The Doc needs to give you something to help you get better get back to your full strength." He'd never seen her so scared and when he noticed the tears well up in her eyes and fall, he stopped fighting the urge he'd had since he'd realizing something was wrong. He pulled her into his arms and held her. They sat on the floor while he whispered reassurances into her ear.

Then, as if realizing for the first time what she was doing - crying and holding a fellow soldier - she quickly pulled away. Wiping her eyes with all the bravado of a seasoned soldier, she muttered, "I'm ready, sir." She managed to pull herself up on the bed after refusing Alec's hand several times. Alec was stunned by the turnaround in her behaviour, but said nothing.

Mira went about administering the antibiotic and drawing a sample - a very small sample - of Max's blood. The doctor, having seen several of the scars visible on Max's body, had figured her leader had probably seen enough of her own blood to last her a lifetime and then some. _All within the past two months._

"Alec," Mira said, handing him a tube of salve. "I need you to make sure she uses this on the wounds that haven't healed." Alec nodded, taking the tube in his hands. "Some of those scars aren't going to fade completely." Seeing Alec's puzzled look, she explained further. "They look like they were badly infected due to neglect - and maybe cut in the same place repeatedly." Addressing Max, she said, "Max, I think - " Mira stopped talking when she realized Max was looking at the floor listlessly. "Max?" Still no response from her leader. "452!"

Max jumped off the bed, nearly stumbling in her haste, and snapped to attention. "Yes, Ma'am." Alec gaped at her openly. She'd never even been that disciplined in Manticore.

Mira cleared her throat after exchanging a knowing glance with Alec. "Can I speak with you alone for a minute, Alec?" As they were walking away, Alec turned back to look at Max once more and realized she was still standing at attention.

_Shit._ "At ease, soldier," he said, barely more than a whisper. "Get some rest."

"Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir!" Max's voice sounded relieved, and in truth, she was. _No one's ever ordered me to rest before_. Her nose scrunched up in puzzlement. _Not that I can remember, anyway._ Lying back on the bed, she made herself as comfortable as possible.

Mira shook her head, staring over Alec's shoulder at her newest patient. "Alec, I was talking with her a little while you were with Joshua. There's something you should know..."

Alec held up a hand. "No, Mira, it's okay. I know she doesn't remember much." Mira sighed and shook her head once more.

_I swear sometimes talking to men is like talking to children. Actually, talking to children is easier._ She placed a hand on Alec's shoulder, leading him a bit further away from Max. "No, Alec. She doesn't remember anything. She has no memory of Terminal City, Seattle, and barely any of Manticore. She doesn't remember anything that hasn't been told to her. And from what I gather," Mira paused, looking at Max lying on the cot, seemingly relaxed but completely alert, "White and his cronies sold her some pretty heavy lines of bullshit. It's gonna take her a long while to get her memories back. And - I know you don't want to hear this Alec - there is a possibility that she willnever remember everything. She may never be the same Max you knew."

"You're right, Mira; I didn't wanna hear that. But right now it doesn't matter what I want. All that matters is doing what we can to help Maxie, and to make those bastards pay." His eyes took on a dangerous gleam, filled with promise of vengeance.

Mira nodded. "I don't suppose you'll agree to leave her here for more testing?" She saw Alec's jaw muscles clench and began to count down the seconds until meltdown.

5, 4, 3, 2...

"Mira, I think she's had enough goddamned testing! Don't you?" Alec stilled as he saw a faint twitch at the corners of Mira's lips. "Am I that predictable?"

"Sometimes. Usually when concerning Max," she admitted with a smile. "Alright, listen. Take her to the apartment, get her changed and bathed - I'm assuming she'll be able to do that on her own. It's okay to tell her a few things, and answer questions if she asks, but try not to push too much off on her all at once." Mira's face softened as she bit her lip. "Max is..fragile right now, Alec. She's been through a helluva lot and isn't...she's not all there right now. Maybe something in the apartment will jog her memory?" Alec grinned as if nothing was wrong as he turned and walked away. "Alec, you'd better bring her back here tomorrow sometime, understood?"

Alec turned midstride and gave her a mock-salute. "Ma'am, yes Ma'am!" He laughed as Mira rolled her eyes and waved a hand at him dismissively.

"Get out of my med-bay, would you already?" she joked, leaving to make rounds on the few other patients in the infirmary.

* * *

Sandeman tapped his cane absent-mindedly on the floor as he watched the scene in the medical bay from the door. Alec reached out to Max to help her up, but she shrugged him off. "I don't need help," he heard her say. _Stubborn girl. She can barely stand_, the old man thought as he saw her stand, her legs wobbling a bit under her. _What in creation did they do to her? What did he do to her?

* * *

_White paced his office like a caged animal while trying to calmly answer the questions being asked him on the phone.

Brother White, you know that this could be a media circus if she reaches Seattle, don't you? This could be our undoing. >>

"Yes, Brother McKinnley, I understand."

I don't believe that you do, White. The Coming is not even a month away. From what I understand, we don't have much of her blood in reserve, and we need to replenish the source! Four batches of the agent are already worthless! >> White's knuckles were losing their colour as his grip on the phone tightened.

"Yes, Sir, I am aware of this. We have three teams out ." White flinched as he was interrupted by the booming voice of the Senator.

I don't care how many teams you have out there. She's proved...difficult for even our best. _You_ are going to find her, and _you_ are going to bring her in. And if you don't... >> The Senator let the sentence hang in the air for a few seconds. If you don't, it will be _your_ head. Quite literally.>> The steady pulse of the dial-tone sounded in White's ear, only serving to enrage him further.

With a growl he picked up a paper-weight from his desk and hurled it against the wall, shattering the glass of a picture frame. "This is the last time you screw me over, 452. The last time."

* * *

452 refused to allow Hazel-Eyes to help her walk as they made their way to her barracks. She had a strange urge to race him up the steps, and couldn't figure out from where the inclination had come. _Did I used to race him?_ She pushed the thought aside, a question for another time. Right now she wanted to just get to her barracks and sleep. She hadn't slept in so long and it was beginning to catch up with her weakened body.

As soon as she stepped inside the room that was her living quarters, her jaw dropped open. "Wow. All this is mine?"

Alec looked at her in a mix of amusement and sorrow. "Well, not all of it. I live here too."

452 raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You live you mean _we_ live here _together_?"

Alec almost laughed at her reaction to the news. And then it hit him like a freight train. She didn't remember anything about him - anything about them. All their years together were lost somewhere in her mind. Their passion, their fighting, their love, all gone because of one lunatic. "Yeah, that we do. But if you want, I can stay with Joshua or someone until..." he paused, not knowing when a good time would be, "until whenever you want me to come back."

452 contemplated this. He had been the only thing to keep her from losing herself completely during her stay at the Amarillo base. Those hazel eyes had been her rock on which she leaned. _Not exactly like you can tell him that, though. Not yet._ "Um. Sir, I think it would be okay if you stayed." Alec winced as he heard her call him 'sir'.

_They really did a number on her._ "Just call me Alec, please."

She cocked her head to the side and eyed him with a puzzled expression. "You don't have a designation?"

He took a deep breath and tried to reign in his emotions for the umpteenth time. "We all - all the trangenics - have names now too. I'm 494, but everyone calls me Alec."

"Oh." She lowered her head and then looked at him questioningly from under lowered lids. "Did I - do I have a name too?"

Smiling genuinely, Alec told her, "Yeah. You're Max. But you let those close to you call you Maxie."

She was silent for a minute, then smiled brightly. "Maxie. I like it."

Without warning, her eyes rolled back until only the whites showed. She put a hand to her head and her legs fold up beneath her. Vivid flashbacks began to assault her mind, the name bringing back memories too jumbled to understand. Alec had lunged and caught her before she'd been able to fall to the floor.

"Maxie, are you okay?" he asked, panicked.

"Yeah. I'm alright. I did just remember something though." She smiled widely as Alec helped her up.

"Oh? And what is that?" Alec asked, amused grin in place.

Max punched him lightly on the shoulder. "Don't call me Maxie."

_Some things never change._ Alec grinned as he showed Max where the bathroom and bedroom were. She picked out some clothes from her dresser, amazed at the choices she had and took a shower. Alec listened carefully to make sure she didn't fall - the incident earlier had scared him, and he wasn't taking any chances.

Max emerged from the bathroom, looking a bit more like herself. In the boxers and tank top she'd chosen, it was frightfully obvious to Alec how much weight she'd lost, and he paled. _She still looks absolutely beautiful,_ he thought, shaking his head.

"Why don't you go on in and sleep? You could probably use the rest," Alec suggested.

In a small voice with a slight stutter she asked, "W-where will you be?" Her eyes held that fear again, and he realized it was caused by the thought of being alone.

"I just need to run down to HQ and let everyone know you're back. Everyone's been so - everyone's missed you." He caught her surprised gaze and whispered, "_I've_ missed you."

Max bit her lip, unsure of what to say. _I've missed you too? That doesn't work since I don't really remember _why_ I missed you,_ she thought bitterly. "Um...okay, I'll just...g-get some sleep then."

"You'll be alright?" Concern was evident in his voice and features as he regarded her.

She shrugged and smiled. "I'm always alright." Alec's heart jumped into his throat at the familiar phrase, but he tried to hide his surprise.

"Okay. Goodnight, Maxie," he said as she laid down on the bed and pulled the covers around her.

"Goodnight, Alec."

As he headed for the door, he could tell by her shallow breathing that she was already asleep. He heard small whimpers from the room and shut his eyes as he stepped into the hallway. _What did they do to you Maxie? What did they do?

* * *

_

Terminal City's HQ was abuzz with activity. White had been using his cellphone so much that they'd been able to accuratly pinpoint the location to even closer than the estimated 20 miles radius.

"Someone get Alec! We found them - they're in Amarillo!" Dix yelled excitedly to no one inparticular. Cheers rang out across the room in celebration.

Their triumph was soon put to a back burner as Alec walked in, a smear of blood running down his cheek from where he'd placed it on Max's head earlier and hadn't washed it. "Alec, what happened?" Dix asked worriedly.

"She's back. She escaped and came home." His eyes beamed with a light that had been absent for two months and he smiled. "She's gonna be okay." _Physically, at least._ An icy glaze covered those previously bright eyes as he spoke his next words. "Keep the teams ready. We're going to get those bastards as soon as possible."

* * *

**To Be Continued...

* * *

**

Lemme know what you think!

Much love,  
The Vamp


	14. Mistakes and Things Remembered

--Previously in LET-- 

_Joshua paused, looking for the right words, "Max still not Max. Not really." Alec looked at him inquisitively and opened his mouth to speak, but Joshua cut him off with a shake of his head. "She doesn't remember." _

_"Doesn't remember what exactly?" Alec asked, his brows furrowing in confusion. _

_"Doesn't remember _us.

_As soon as she stepped inside the room that was her living quarters, her jaw dropped open. "Wow. All this is mine?" _

_Alec looked at her in a mix of amusement and sorrow. "Well, not all of it. I live here too." _

_452 raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You live -- you mean _we_ live here _together

_You__ are going to find her, and _you_ are going to bring her in. And if you don't... >> The Senator let the sentence hang in the air for a few seconds. your__ head. Quite literally.>> The steady pulse of the dial-tone sounded in White's ear, only serving to enrage him further. _

_____With a growl he picked up a paper-weight from his desk and hurled it against the wall, shattering the glass of a picture frame. "This is the last time you screw me over, 452. The last time." _

_____"Yeah. I'm alright. I did just remember something though." She smiled widely as Alec helped her up. _

_____"Oh? And what is that?" Alec asked, amused grin in place. _

_____Max punched him lightly on the shoulder. "Don't call me Maxie." _

_____"She's back. She escaped and came home." His eyes beamed with a light that had been absent for two months and he smiled. "She's gonna be okay." _Physically, at least._ An icy glaze covered those previously bright eyes as he spoke his next words. "Keep the teams ready. We're going to get those bastards as soon as possible." _ Chapter Fourteen: Mistakes and Things Remembered

* * *

Chapter 14: Mistakes and Things Remembered

Ames White stood in front of his desk, one hand on his hip, one rubbing his forehead as if in the grips of a terrible migraine. "You failed?" The three familiars he had addressed nodded their heads reluctantly. He sighed before kicking out at one of the men in front of him. "Worthless IDIOTS!" White roared. The man took the impact, stumbled back a bit, but showed no signs of discomfort; only slight annoyance. "For all our selective breeding..." he growled, landing another kick to his fellow Familiar's gut, "...utterly WORTHLESS!" The members of the retrieval team were better, stronger, and faster than White and under normal circumstances wouldn't have hesitated to rip him apart. They knew, however, that White outclassed them in pure rage and fear of failure; two things that made him extremely dangerous.

"Brother White, we tried to - " Raina, the only female of the group attempted to explain. The words were stolen from her with a sharp slap from an indignant White.

"You tried? I was told this team was the best next to the Phalanx," he paused to sneer at the three familiars, "and you can't even track a mentally ill, malnourished,amnesiac?" he fumed. _McKinley will have my head mounted on his wall._

"Brother White, allow us to explain." Brenam refused to plead with his temporary superior. As was with most of the Familiars, he saw White as an abomination of their kind - tainted like his traitor father.

White sat on the edge of his desk, his arms folded over his chest. "Please do. Enlighten me," he said contemptuously.

Brenam looked cautiously to his team for guidance. As much as he would love to throw White's failure in his face, the expressions of his team warned him to tread carefully. White had always been unstable - the emotions he possessed were more human that Familiar and they made him weak. They also made him unpredictable and dangerous.

"We nearly caught up with her just outside the city. We know she stole a car, but no one saw the direction she went." Brenam stopped speaking when White snorted.

"I thought you were supposed to be 'one of the most brilliant team leaders in the history of our people,'" he taunted, quoting what one of the female Elders had said when recommending Brenam's team. "I think it should be painfully obvious where 452 is going."

"With all due respect, Brother," Dyman ventured, the word 'respect' tumbling from his lips and leaving a sour taste in his mouth. "If you're implying that 452 is going back to Terminal City, I'd have to disagree with you."

White grinned, but his eyes were aflame with ferocity. "Really? You would disagree with me? Why?" Raina shot Dymen an angry glare and Brenam struggled to keep from cursing under his breath. No matter who the superior was, you didn't disagree with them - especially if they were as volatile as Ames White.

"She doesn't have memories. How would she know where she came from?"

"Ah, there's where it gets amusing. The head scientists here decided that if we could convince 452 that she was a soldier and this was a new base she'd been transferred to, then she'd be...manageable. To a certain extent, they were right." _And oh so terribly wrong._

"Do you mean to tell me that your people _told_ 452 about Terminal City?" Dyman was outraged. Any little amount of concern he'd had about using tact whilst speaking with White had flickered out.

"That is exactly what I'm saying. If you'd read the damn case files on 452, you would have already _known_ that crucial fact!" White was beyond anger now - he was absolutely livid. His nostrils flared and the air around him changed, as if it too were trying to cower away from him. The way he held himself commanded attention and two of the three Familiars paled.

Dyman showed no fear - he was one that had little - and stepped up until he was only inches from White. He'd been under White's supervision numerous times before and he'd had enough of taking orders from such an affront to his people. "The Conclave should have eliminated you years ago. You're just as bad as the filth you pretend to hate." Dyman turned and spat just to the left of White, his actions speaking for him. "You made a foolish mistake. She didn't have to be manageable - only sedated. She was even more dangerous in the state you had her in." Dyman knew why White had wanted 452 conscious and 'manageable.' He puffed out his chest in pride and bravado, poking a finger into White's chest. "The only reason 452 escaped was becauseyou kept her conscious so you could exact revenge for your son's death." Dyman snorted. "Idiot. The Conclave had your son killed because of your ridiculous obsession with him. 452 was only a catalyst for what would've inevitably happened. You're weak. You're nothing. You're - "

A shot rang out and blood spattered from Dyman's falling body onto his two team members. Raina eyed White, petrified. Neither dared speak as they regarded their fallen comrade. They knew their fate if they defied him. _He was an idiot. No one except a High Elder would speak to White that way_, Raina thought silently. _I would've shot him myself in a few more minutes. What took White so long?_

White turned, eyes glazed with satisfaction. "You will assemble a new team, go to Seattle and find 452. You will bring her back to me unless you want to join him," he ordered, kicking Dyman's lifeless body for emphasis. When neither made to leave, White yelled, "NOW!" Raina and Brenam tried to leave quickly without seeming like they were running - which is what they desperately wanted to do.

"Idiots," White muttered under his breath as he picked up the body and tossed it outside the door of his office. The cleaning crew was used to finding this type of waste in the building. Familiars had rotten tempers. It would be taken care of. White could only hope that his more pressing situation was handled as efficiently.

* * *

452 woke to the sound of someone knocking on her door. Immediately she froze as she had every time White had entered her cell. Once her eyes focused, she realized where she was and breathed a soft sigh of relief. I'm in 494's room. Alec's room. No, my room. The knock came again and despite her moment of calm, she had an image of White storming in to take her back to Amarillo. She reached under her pillow and closed her hand around the butt of the 9mm she had put there last night. "Who is it?" she called out, trying to keep her voice steady. 

"It's Alec. Max, is it okay if I come in?" 452 closed her eyes and let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She released her grip on the gun and got out of bed.

She opened the door, still somewhat cautious, and was relieved to see him. Something told her that it would be customary to embrace him first thing in the morning, but she quelled that urge. Instead, she settled for another ingrained instinct - she snapped to attention, saluted him, and said, "Ready for duty, Sir!"

Alec bit back a growl of frustration at seeing her having prostrated herself before him as if he were her CO and they were still at Manticore. "Don't do that, Max. We don't do that crap here - none of the formalities." He watched in amusement as she relaxed her body and confusion entered her eyes.

"But, this is a military base, isn't it? I mean, that's what I was told."_ I think I'll like this place - once I remember the damned rules._ She saw Alec tense, his hands clenching into fists upon hearing her question. She didn't like seeing him upset, so she hurriedly tried to fix whatever she'd done. "What did I do?"

Alec took her hand in his, his gaze immediately falling on the dozens of scars and scabs on her arms. "No. You didn't do anything. I think it's time for a debriefing." 452 eyed him warily as he continued to hold her hand. "I want you to tell me everything you remember about that," _Hell-hole_ "other base."

452 quickly pulled her hand away, and turned back into the room. Before she did, though, Alec caught the pain evident in her eyes and saw how afraid she was. "I don't want to talk about it," she snapped, grabbing clothes from out of the dresser and stomping into the bathroom.

_Maybe I should've gone with the formalities. Seems even with amnesia she's still the same stubborn Max._ Alec took a seat on the bed - their bed - and tried not to listen to the sounds of the shower running. Tried not to think of how if things were normal, he'd be sharing the shower with her. Most of all he tried not to think of how the water cascaded down over her skin, making it glisten as if she were doused with thousands of small diamonds - _SHUT-UP!_ He dropped his head into his hands._ Damn, this is hard!_ When he lifted his semi-cleared head, the sight that greeted him only made everything worse.

452 came out of the bathroom wearing only a towel. _His_ towel. Try as he might, he couldn't swallow the lump that had formed in his throat. Nor could he take his eyes off of her. Though she'd lost a lot of weight in the two months she'd been gone - too much - she still looked breathtaking.

"Is something wrong?" 452 was truly confused. She knew how she must look - she was too thin, scars covered a majority of her body, though some were fading fast, and she was still wet from the shower. _I look like a drowned rat, no need to rub it in._

Alec had the sense to appear guilty and looked away. Then he glanced back and realized that Max was looking in one of his drawers of clothes. "Did you forget something?" He knew he'd seen her take clothes into the bathroom with her.

"Yeah," she replied absentmindedly as she searched through the drawers of the dresser. "Where do I keep my underwear?" she said to herself, digging into yet another drawer full of men's clothes.

"Third drawer from the top, on the right," Alec offered without thinking. _Uh-oh. Here come the questions._

452 turned as she saw he was right and smirked at him. "You into women's underwear, Sir?" _How did he know? Unless.._. 452 thought before pushing the thought from her mind.

That wasn't the question I was expecting, but I prefer to answer this one. Alec grinned cheekily, ignoring the 'Sir' she'd attached to the joke. "Nah, I think they'll probably look better on you," he said with a wink. And then she did something he'd very seldom seen her do. Sheblushed. "I - I didn't mean - I'm sorry. We - er...we used to joke around like that. Before you left." _Nice one, Alec. Way to use those improvisational skills._

452 pulled out a matching set of underwear and padded back to the bathroom somewhat in a daze. "No problem," she said, forcing a smile she hoped was convincing. Once inside, she wiped at her now tear-filled eyes in front of the mirror. _There's so much I don't remember. Alec - this place - my name_. Suddenly a blinding pain hit her, like someone had just shoved a needle in her brain. She grasped her head with her hands and cried out as she collapsed to the floor with a thud, barely missing hitting the bathtub's edge.

Alec heard her scream and rushed into the bathroom. "Max!" He knelt at her side and tried to get her attention. Her eyes were wide open, but she wasn't seeing him.

Flashback

_"State your designation," orders someone 452 cannot see. The voice is feminine, and though she cannot see who is speaking, she knows who it is - a tall, thin woman with close-cropped platinum blonde hair and a bad attitude. 452 is in a small area cut out of a wall and in front of her is a mirror - all she can see is her own reflection. She's wearing what looks like a hospital gown. _

_452 yells out, "My name's Max!" The floor and ceiling close in on her until she is forced into a crouching position. She feels weak and cramped, but mostly, she just feels angry. _

_Again the woman's voice commands, "State your designation." _

_Staring straight into the mirror which she somehow knows is two-way, she retorts, "Kiss my transgenic ass!" The floor and ceiling shift again and she curls up into a ball. _

_452 hears the woman speak in a lower voice. "How long can an X5 last without food or water?" A man says that they can last six days, maybe. _

_"Call me in a week." 452 beats on the glass, yelling out in frustration as doors close and leave her in pitch black darkness. _

End Flashback

_My name's Max_. She looked to her side and saw Alec hovering above her, a worried expression on his face. "My name's Max," she repeated aloud, both to reassure herself and to show him she was okay.

"You're a quick one. Especially since I told you that last night," Alec teased. He stood and held his hand out to her. To his surprise, she took it. Instinctively, Max put her hand up to hold the towel in place as Alec helped her up off the cold tile and led her out of the bathroom.

"I know - I just - It never felt like I had a name until now. I...I had a weird flashback thing." _Yes, that would be the technical term_. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at herself.

_Is she going to fall down every time she remembers something?_ Alec wondered, recalling the incident the night before. "What did you remember?" Hope seized his heart and refused to let go. Maybe soon she'd be back to normal - well, as normal as a genetically enhanced super-soldier can get.

"Well, being in this creepy box thing that kept closing in on me, for one." She nearly shuddered at the memory. Alec nodded; he knew the place well.

"Anything else?" he prompted, leading her out of the bathroom to sit down on the bed.

"Yeah, actually," she said, scrunching her nose. "Some really bitchy bleach-blonde chick." Alec couldn't help himself - he laughed. "What? Who is she?"

"That would be Director Renfro. She headed up the place where I was trained," Alec said, choosing his words carefully.

Max's brows furrowed in confusion. "If we're all transgenics, weren't we trained in the same place?" Alec's jaw dropped open. "What? What did I say?" _This amnesia shit is beginning to get on my nerves. And so is he_.

"Well - I just wasn't sure if you remembered who you were - _what_ you are." Max rolled her eyes at him, but then took on a more somber look.

"My handlers at Amarillo told me," she said quietly. When she looked up at him, she saw rage building up in him again, and decided to change the subject. "So, if I wasn't trained where you were, how did I meet this Renfro bitch."

"Well," Alec began, unsure of how much information to give her. "There were a couple of bases for people like us. You kind of went AWOL from one of them when you were younger, and when you were, uh, reinstated a few years ago, you were put in the same place as me. That's where we met." He smiled, definitely looking forward to _that_ explanation.

Max noticed the sparkle in his eyes and saw it for what it was - mischief. _I'll have to remember to ask him about that later_. "We'll save that story for another time. I know I'm dying to hear it." Suddenly aware that she was standing in front of this gorgeous man in only atowel, she got up and headed to the bathroom to do what she'd originally planned - get dressed.

"So what do you want to do today?" Alec asked through the bathroom door.

"Well, I wanna look around a bit, see if anything can bring me back, y'know?" Max smiled as she inspected herself in the mirror. _I definitely have a thing for the color black and leather_, she mused. She'd found a pair of black leather pants, a black tank top and she knew she'd seen a black leather jacket in the closet that must be hers. She thought she looked good, since most of her fading scars were hidden and despite her bone-thin appearance. For some reason, she felt the need to look great; due in part to the fact that she couldn't remember having anything other than a hospital gown or army fatigues. The other she didn't want to delve into too much - she wanted to look good for _him_.

"Sounds good to me. We'll take a trip down to the mess hall for some food, if you think you're up for it." His voice was taunting, as if daring her to say no.

"Oh, I'm ready," she replied, stepping out of the bathroom. She felt a strange satisfaction when she saw the way Alec's eyes roamed freely over her body and had the sneaking suspicion that it was a habitual event.

Alec led her through the bedroom and to the front door. "You ready for the best breakfast you can get in Seattle?" he grinned.

"Yeah, I'm starving! But before all that, mind if we take a trip outside the gates for a few minutes? I left someone out there that I can't wait to see again." Alec's heart nearly stopped at her declaration. Had she picked up someone else on her trip to Seattle?

Struggling to keep his voice from betraying any emotion, he asked, "And who might that be?" She smiled mysteriously and nothing could have prepared him for what she said next.

"My baby."

* * *

**To Be Continue****d...**


	15. The Echo of What Was

--Previously in LET-- 

_"We nearly caught up with her just outside the city. We know she stole a car, but no one saw the direction she went." Brenam stopped speaking when White snorted. _

_"I thought you were supposed to be 'one of the most brilliant team leaders in the history of our people,'" he taunted, quoting what one of the female Elders had said when recommending Brenam's team. "I think it should be painfully obvious where 452 is going." _

_White turned, eyes glazed with satisfaction. "You will assemble a new team, go to Seattle and find 452. You will bring her back to me unless you want to join him," he ordered, kicking Dyman's lifeless body for emphasis. When neither made to leave, White yelled, "NOW!" _

* * *

_Alec led her through the bedroom and to the front door. "You ready for the best breakfast you can get in Seattle?" he grinned. _

_"Yeah, I'm starving! But before all that, mind if we take a trip outside the gates for a few minutes? I left someone out there that I can't wait to see again." Alec's heart nearly stopped at her declaration. Had she picked up someone else on her trip to Seattle? _

_Struggling to keep his voice from betraying any emotion, he asked, "And who might that be?" She smiled mysteriously and nothing could have prepared him for what she said next. _

_"My baby."

* * *

_

Chapter Fifteen: The Echo of What Was

Alec stared at the smiling brunette as she walked out the door, his mouth hanging open in utter shock. _What'd she say? Her **baby**! _As he slowly came around, he rushed out of the apartment after her. Falling into step beside her down the stairs, he allowed his thoughts to flow freely from his mouth.

"Your what! Max, two months isn't enough time to - I mean, unless you - before you left!" Alec stuttered, unable to think coherently as Max exited the building. He stopped behind her for a few seconds as she continued to walk forward, headed for the gates. "A _ baby?_"

Max laughed, never breaking stride. "Not _that_ kind of baby!" she threw over her shoulder at Alec, who was currently jogging to catch up to her again. She grinned, offering no further explanation and leaving Alec all the more confused.

"If it isn't _that_ kind of baby, then what kind of baby is it?" he asked as they reached the gates. His hands clenched at his sides, he told himself that Max couldn't possibly have had a child. After all, apparently it wasn't _that_ kind of baby.

Several moments of walking in almost perfect silence - it would've been perfect silence had Alec not grunted incoherently every few minutes - found them standing just outside of an abandoned building. "You left your 'baby' under cardboard and garbage?" Alec mumbled as Max began throwing assorted pieces of paper and boxes aside. "HEY!" he yelped when a discarded newspaper sailed only inches from his head. A quick 'sorry' was all he received from her before she squealed in delight. _Max doesn't squeal. What the hell?_

Max stepped aside with a flourish of her arm. "_This_ is my baby," she stated proudly. Alec gaped at the black Ninja motorcycle. _He looks kinda like a fish the way his mouth keeps opening and closing like he's gonna say something._ She smiled at the comparison, waiting for him to finally find whatever words he was looking for.

"Where did you get that?" Alec walked closer to survey the bike that looked almost identical to the one Max had treasured so dearly.

Puzzled over his reaction to the machine, Max answered hesitantly. "I, uh, borrowed it from an impound yard somewhere in the state." Her nose crinkled as she tried to remember the name of the town. "Yakima, I think. Yeah, an impound yard in Yakima. On my way here."

Alec grinned as he discovered that this wasn't a bike that looked like Max's Ninja. It _was_ Max's Ninja. There was no mistaking the customizations Max had ordered for her precious 'baby'. He remembered teasing her often about how she loved the bike more than him. _Now I bet I could win that argument,_ he thought bitterly. Max was staring at him in confusion when he looked up and he realized that he hadn't said anything for a good five minutes.

"Um, sorry. It's just that - well, this was your bike before you...left." Max's eyes widened as she alternated between looking at the bike and at him. "You, uh...had to leave it behind in Yakima a while back and I guess it got taken to the impound."

"You're sure it's the same bike?" Alec nodded in response. Despite her words of doubt, she felt like Alec was only telling her something she'd been almost sure of already. Her memory of racing down the street side by side with Hazel-Eyes, whom she now knew was Alec, came back to her. "This might seem like a weird question, but...do you have a green bike?"

"Used to before it got K.I.A.," he grinned. "You rememberin' something?" He tried to keep his voice neutral, hiding the hopefulness he felt.

"Kind of. I think I remember us racing through a city." She closed her eyes, letting herself get lost in the memory. The way the wind blew through her hair as she sped down the street on the sleek black bike. The way Alec looked back at her and grinned when he would pull out in front of her and the way she would laugh when she gained the lead again. The way afterwards they would go back to their place and make - _What the fuck?_ Her eyes snapped open quickly and she blushed as if she'd said out load what she'd seen in her mind's eye.

The crimson flush to her face amused Alec and he wondered if she remembered what those nights of racing and the rush of adrenaline would do to them. She turned her head to hide her face from his gaze and that was answer enough. "Oh yeah, we used to drive the sector cops crazy with all the noise." He barely stifled a laugh as she whirled to face him, the blush on her cheeks even more prominent. Instead he flashed her a smile and said, "People called and complained about the sounds of the engines revving waking them up."

"Oh, the _bikes_ were loud." Max breathed a sigh of relief and Alec's grin somehow managed to get wider.

"Uh, yeah. What did you think I was talking about?" Max only shook her head and grasped the handle bars of the bike, intent on not conversing until they got back into their apartment. _Our apartment, with the one bed. _ Then it hit her like the proverbial ton of bricks - _Alec and I were a couple - are a couple. I am such an idiot._ It wasn't until then that she'd stopped to consider just how hard her sudden memory loss would be on him.

She glanced at him as she walked the bike back inside the gates. Seeing the hurt and confusion that he was seemingly trying to hide made her want to comfort him, hug him, just do _something_ so he didn't hurt anymore. Instead of showing her emotions, she went with the more comfortable if less instinctual approach - small talk.

"So, um..." she started, unable to think of what to say. She smiled deviously and said, "Last night we were talkin' and you said you'd tell me the story of how we met. How 'bout you tell me now?" Max watched as Alec's uncertain visage regained that confident smirk she'd noticed he seemed to perpetually wear.

_I thought she was trying to get _away_ from the sexual topic,_ he mused silently. "Well, um...at Manticore - the facility where you were reindoctrinated, the genetic lab was destroyed." Max stopped walking and gave him a look that said 'what the hell?' _Shit, this is going to be more work that I thought. _ He ran a hand through his hair, which had gotten significantly longer since Max had been gone. "Well, the genetic lab was where they kept all of the DNA information so they could make more transgenics like us."

"And it was destroyed? Why would someone want to destroy that?"

Alec chuckled low and shook his head. "Well, you weren't too happy with the way they were treating the transgens at the base."

"_I _did it?" _No wonder that bitch Renfro put me in a box for a week. _ "Okay...so what does all that have to do with how we met?"

"Well...you were captured after the incident and...well, they needed some way to make more transgenics, so they figured the old-fashioned method was worth a try." He wiggled his eyebrows at her and then winked. "We were paired together as breeding partners."

"What! That's sick!" _Breeding partners? That's so archaic. And why do I have the urge to hit him on the shoulder right now?_

"Wow, déja vû." Max looked at him questioningly and he was looking forward to telling the rest of the story. "That's pretty much what you said at the time too."

After several seconds of just walking Max took the initiative. "Okay, the suspense is killing me," she stated, rolling her eyes. "What happened then?"

Alec's eyes sparkled and Max realized they were even more breathtaking than she'd remembered. "Let's see if I can remember the exact chain of events. I walked in unannounced, told you I was X5-494 and that we were breeding partners and that we were supposed to 'copulate every night until you get pregnant.' You said 'That's sick!', I took of my shirt and you kicked me across the room. I believe your exact words when I asked you 'what the hell was that?' were 'the only kind of physical contact you and me are gonna have.'"

Max burst out laughing at that point. "Well from what you say, what the hell did you expect? Me to say 'Yes sir, take me now'?"

"Not really. You had...a bit of a reputation for not takin' shit. Not even from your commanding officers, might I add." That was one thing he'd always loved her for; she took orders well enough when they were the right ones, but she led even better.

"I don't know how much that sounds like me now though." Her traitorous mind took her back to Amarillo, the way she'd done everything they'd said - except for White. No, him she'd hated with a passion and shown just how much. "Well, actually, maybe it does. I kind of went AWOL...again."

"No, Maxie, you didn't go AWOL, you _escaped._ That wasn't a real military base, at least not one of ours. Those people were the enemy." Alec knew he shouldn't be bringing up what happened there or giving her more new information to digest, but she did have a right to know that she wasn't a bad soldier.

"But they knew things, about my life. Things that _I _couldn't even remember. And they've been right so far." She looked down at her feet in shame. _Let's just hope they aren't right about me being the death of you...literally._ When she leveled her gaze again, she was staring at the steps of their apartment building. They'd been talking so much she hadn't even realized they were home. _Home._ The word felt so right. _I'm home._

Maxie, you were...I don't wanna push information off on you. The doc said that it might only make the problem worse, and make you frustrated because you can't remember."

Max watched as again Alec ran a hand through his hair. _He must do that whenever he's upset; he's been doing it a _lot_ lately. _ "I want to know what happened to me...I mean, why I was there," she almost demanded, a determined set to her jaw. "They...they told me that it was because I let my CO's son get killed during a mission."

Alec's hands bunched into fists and he let out the urge to scream. He was pretty sure he knew who her "CO" was. "What was your CO's name?" he asked, just to make sure.

Max shuddered as she parked the bike and began walking up the stairs. "White."

"Dammit. That son-of-a-bitch!" he yelled. Max was taken aback by his sudden outburst, but after spending apparently two months - a lot of which she didn't even remember - she'd seen enough to know why White warranted such a negative reaction.

"I take it you don't like him that much either?" Max's voice was quiet and subdued at the memory of her captor.

"He...he fuckin' tricked you into turning yourself over to him." He wasn't sure if he should tell her that _he_ was the leverage White had used to get to her. "He tricked you, then he took you away from m- us."

"But why? Why would they go to all that trouble for me? And what about his son?" Max couldn't believe what she was hearing; she'd known that something had been wrong with the whole situation, but it was still a bit much to take in.

"You're special, Max. You have something they want - something about your blood." He saw her wince at the last word and hurried on. "As for White's son...he _is_ dead, but you didn't kill him. White's own people did that - you only tried to save him."

"Then, all the punishments were for _nothing_?" _The torture, the starvation, the 'visits' - all for nothing._ She vaguely noticed that she was shaking and Alec moved to put an arm around her in comfort. The memories of those late night visits from the two janitors were still fresh in her mind and she flinched.

A look of hurt flickered across Alec's face before his worry overtook it. "Max, don't worry. You're home now, even if you don't remember it. We're gonna get the people that did this to you, that I can promise you."

His words were reassuring and Max allowed a small smile to form on her lips. "I might not remember much, but I know that this is my home. I knew that even in that place." Brown eyes met hazel and she raised a hand hesitantly to the side of Alec's face. "I remembered those eyes. For a while, they were all I could remember and they helped me get through...what happened." Sharing the small fact lightened Max's mood and Alec could sense the change.

"Hey, you still up for some breakfast? We'll put your bike in the storage area with mine." Max pulled away awkwardly and nodded.

"Alright, I'm sure there are a lot of people who are dying to see you."

Max forced a smile even while her thoughts were morbid. _Right, according to White, that's more true than you might know.

* * *

_

Raina stood looking out over Terminal City from a fourth story window in a building across the street. "Looks pretty quiet now, no sign of her," she told Brenam. She'd watched with hatred as 452 had walked with 494 across an open yard toward what looked like a mess hall.

"She's probably still in the mess hall. Got some catchin' up to do with all her freaks," one of the new additions to the team, Blaine, snorted. There were four new members in all - all of them almost as highly recommended as the original members.

Raina didn't even crack a smile. "See how far humour will get you, idiot." She turned to glare at Blaine over her shoulder. "You know where it got Dymen." _Maybe that'll sober the bastard up._ Sure, Dymen had been killed because he was a serious idiot, not a funny one, but to Raina, an idiot was still an idiot, no matter what the flavor.

"Would everyone just shut-up long enough to remember we have a very short time table here?" Brenam was tired of the constant bickering between the new members. If it'd been up to him, only he and Raina would be here. But in the end, White had been in charge, and he knew what would have happened if he'd argued the point. "We have to get her back to Amarillo _tomorrow_, or else all our preparation for the Coming was for nothing." Addressing the newer faces he said, "Do you want to be responsible for the greatest failure in our history?" The vigorous shaking of four heads answered him. "Right then. We move in bright and early tomorrow morning. Everyone get to their posts!"

Once everyone had exited the room except for Raina and Brenam, Brenam went to the window to stand beside the red-head. "Raina, do you think 494 will be a problem? He seems to never leave her alone."

"He won't be a problem with a bullet in his head," Raina stated cockily.

"Don't you think White would be pleased if we brought him _both_ of the transgenics he loathes most?" He raised an eyebrow in question.

"You know, I think you're right. Get Blaine and Seti to keep an eye on 494. I want 452. That bitch broke my nose the first week she was there."

"Raina, it's not like it hurt," Brenam reminded her tauntingly.

"It's the principle of the thing."

Brenam only shook his head and went silently to his post. A glance at his watch told him it was 9:30 am. _Only 19 hours to go._

**To Be Continued**


	16. Familiar Faces

--Previously in LET-- 

_Max stepped aside with a flourish of her arm. "_This_ is my baby," she stated proudly. Alec gaped at the black Ninja motorcycle._

_Alec grinned as he discovered that this wasn't a bike that looked like Max's Ninja. It _was _Max's Ninja._

_She closed her eyes, letting herself get lost in the memory. The way the wind blew through her hair as she sped down the street on the sleek black bike. The way Alec looked back at her and grinned when he would pull out in front of her and the way she would laugh when she gained the lead again. The way afterwards they would go back to their place and make - _What the fuck?_ Her eyes snapped open quickly and she blushed as if she'd said out load what she'd seen in her mind's eye_.

Alec and I were a couple - are a couple. I am such an idiot. _It wasn't until then that she'd stopped to consider just how hard her sudden memory loss would be on him. _

_"Alright, I'm sure there are a lot of people who are dying to see you."_

_Max forced a smile even while her thoughts were morbid._ Right, according to White, that's more true than you might know.

* * *

_Brenam went to the window to stand beside the red-head. "Raina, do you think 494 will be a problem? He seems to never leave her alone."_

_"He won't be a problem with a bullet in his head," Raina stated cockily. _

_"Don't you think White would be pleased if we brought him _both_ of the transgenics he loathes most?" He raised an eyebrow in question._

_Brenam only shook his head and went silently to his post. A glance at his watch told him it was 9:30 am. _Only 19 hours to go.

* * *

Chapter Sixteen: Familiar Faces

* * *

The noise level in the mess hall was almost deafening. Everyone was talking about the return of their leader, excited that she'd made her way back to them. The joy was slightly diminished by the feelings of worry about her state of mind - and of revenge on her captors.

As Max was led into the crowded room, her hands flew to her sensitive ears. "It's so _loud_!" she complained. She needn't have worried, for as soon as everyone saw her enter, a hush fell over every table. Max saw hundreds upon hundreds of eyes on her and she blushed at the attention as she shifted to hide partially behind Alec. "Why are they all staring at me?" she whispered into his ear.

Alec turned his head, a grin adorning his lips and his eyes sparkling. "They missed you. They're just glad you're home."

"But...how does _everyone_ know me? There are so many of them!" Her frantic gaze examined every face, trying to find just one that she recognized. She found on familiar face, that of the dog-faced man - _Joshua_ - that had came across her when she first arrived. She shuddered as she remembered the man she'd almost killed - Logan. That feeling of hatred, familiarity and fear filled her again and she vowed to ask Alec about Logan.

"Everyone knows you because you're the leader,Max," Alec answered, snapping Max out of her daze. He watched as her brown eyes widened in disbelief.

"What?" she screeched. "_I_ can't be the leader." How could they expect her to be the leader when she couldn't remember them, or anything else for that matter?

"Of course not right _now_!" Alec shook his head, his smile never leaving his face. "You _were_ the leader, and once you get better, you will be again. But for right now, just be you."

"I don't even know who _I_ am," she muttered in frustration. Alec moved to put his arm around her waist, but she winced and he pulled back, the smile finally disappearing.

"You will, soon enough, you'll remember." He grinned again as she stared at him, her lips pursed in a way that said 'Yeah, sure.' He raised an eyebrow and leaned down, whispering conspiratorially. "Hey, you've already remembered a lot. My eyes, my bike, the late night rush of ...racing." He fought the urge to laugh as Max heaved a sigh of relief after hearing 'racing'. _Oh yeah, she definitely remembered something interesting._

"MAX!"

Max turned as she heard someone yelling her name and was immediately swept up into a hug by two unknown people. She didn't move, the physical contact making her anxious and uncomfortable. Suddenly, she was released and she took the opportunity to survey the people obviously so very happy to see her.

A pretty woman with long blonde hair and next to her, a handsome man with dark olive skin and almost black hair. "Um, hello," she said awkwardly. She stole a quick glance at Alec to assure herself he was still there and then asked the question she knew she would get tired of asking. "Who are you?" In both pairs of eyes she saw a wave of hurt flow before it was masked.

"Oh God, Max, we're sorry. We were just so excited to see you," the blonde woman said quietly.

Alec ran a hand through his hair again, wondering the best way to explain who they were. "Max, they're from the unit you were in when you were a kid. They're kinda like family to you. Well, one is actually your sibling, same genetic mother or some such..." Gesturing to first the woman, then the man, he said, "This is Syl and Krit. Krit is the one that's actually related to you." Syl and Krit had come in from L.A. when they'd heard about Max's disappearance, and had come to be a real help in keeping TC running. Alec only wished they'd waited a little longer before making their appearance.

"Oh, um...nice to meet you. Again?" _Damn this is weird. Supposedly these people are family, but I don't remember... _Looking at their faces more closely she realized she _did_ remember something. _ A mission - the DNA lab sabotage that Alec told me about. They were there. And a blonde guy. Zack! And a miniature me. Oh shit! _

Turning away from her two siblings she smacked Alec hard on the shoulder. "What the hell was that for?"

"I _died! _You never told me that I _died_!" Syl and Krit tried to hide their laughter, after all, the DNA lab incident wasn't a laughing matter. But somehow, seeing Max slipping into her old ways with Alec _was_ funny and they had to struggle to keep themselves composed.

"Well, yeah, but you came back," Alec offered, unsure how to placate her. He smiled at realizing that she'd remembered something, and knew that his smiling would only make her more mad. Max growled in response, turning back to Syl and Krit.

Even though she now knew that they were her family, she still wasn't sure how to act with them. "Um, sorry."

"It's alright, we're used to it," Krit grinned, looking back and forth between Alec and Max. _At least something is still normal around here._

"Let's get some breakfast, alright?" Alec suggested, already leading Max to the counter at the front of the room. Delicious smells assaulted her nose; bacon, eggs, sausage, and sweet maple syrup for pancakes. All this served to produce a grumble from her stomach and she realized that she was starving. She hadn't had solid food in, well, as long as she could remember.

She asked a cheery feline looking female what was on the menu. Once she was told what was available, she proceeded to order one of _everything_, leaving Krit and Syl astonished. Alec was just happy she was eating.

After everyone got their food, they settled down at a table near the front that was usually left empty for Alec and company. Max didn't even hesitate before starting to shovel food into her hungry mouth. The three others at the table simply watched in amusement as she cleared away half of everything in under five minutes, her hands almost blurring. It was at that moment, with a large quantity of scrambled eggs in her mouth, that Max realized everyone was watching her. Quickly swallowing the eggs, she blushed and muttered a sheepish apology.

"It's alright," Syl grinned. "You need to eat, get all your strength back." Syl surveyed her sister's appearance, taking in all the still visible signs of her capture. _God sis, you look so thin and weak. _Hatred boiled in her veins for those that would dare do the things to which her Maxie had been subjected.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean that I have to act like a pig." Max made a show of picking up a piece of bacon and chewing it daintily.

"A pig? Men get away with it, why can't we?" Syl jibed, shooting a glance at Krit. She and Max shared a look with a meaning only the female gender could understand.

"Well, we wouldn't want you to sink to our level, now would we?" Krit said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

Alec leaned back in his chair, the scene before him lightening his heart. _Just like old times._ Soon Alec joined in the taunting and teasing and the four transgenics were laughing like the old friends they were. Just when it was obvious Max was beginning to feel like she really did fit in, Joshua came bounding over to the table, Sandeman behind him.

Alec groaned almost inaudibly. _Shit, here we go now. Just when Max was feelin' comfortable. _ Whatever Alec had expected Max to do, he wasn't prepared for what actually happened. As soon as Max saw the old man, she jumped up from her seat and backed away. She focused on the lion-headed cane which she immediately recognized from her dream.

_The transgenics stand in a wide circle around something she cannot see. She pushes through the din and finds herself face to face with...herself. She sees her body on the ground, blood pooling from her stomach. The older white-haired gentleman who is balanced on a cane stands with the hazel-eyed man. He collapses next to her, sobs wracking his body. _

_-- _

Max? Max, are you alright?" Alec asked frantically, holding a limp Max upright by her shoulders. She was grasping her stomach tight and her eyes had glazed over. Alec turned and glared at Sandeman accusingly. "What the hell is going on?"

"I don't know, boy. Has anything like this happened since she's been back?" Sandeman leaned on his cane, returning Alec's gaze, but instead of accusatory, the old man's eyes showed concern.

"Well, it seems like it happens every time she remembers something intense." _What did you remember, Maxie?_

"Give Max space!" Joshua commanded in a near growl to those transgenics that had gathered around to see what had happened to their leader. The transgenics nearly scrambled over one another in their haste to back away.

As Max's eyes gradually focused on the scene above her, she nearly jumped again. The gray-haired man and Hazel-Eyes - Alec - were standing above her. "Just like the dream," she muttered. She felt extremely dazed, like she'd gone a year without sleep and it was catching up with her all at once. "They're all gonna die. My fault."

"No, Maxie, it'll be alright," Alec whispered, running a hand through her hair. She jerked at the contact and Alec pulled his hand back. Looking up with unshed tears, Alec ordered Joshua to take her to the Med Bay. Then, leading Sandeman outside roughly, he didn't hesitate with his questions.

"Sandeman, what the hell is she talking about? 'They're all gonna die'? It's her fault? What dream? What - "

"Alec, calm down," Sandeman stated, unnerved. "I can only answer one question at a time...well...they're all very much tied together in this instance and - "

"Listen, just get on with it. We don't have a lot of time here. Tomorrow's the Coming and we already have teams assembled and ready to hit the Amarillo base first thing in the morning. So whatever is going on with Max right now needs to be figured out...right now." All of Sandeman's flowery talk was really beginning to get on his nerves and he just wanted answers.

"Alright, fine. You remember me telling you about the prophecy?" Sandeman said as he began to walk down the hall.

"How could I forget? That would be the one where you said my girlfriend had to die to save the world, right?" Alec spat bitterly.

Sandeman sighed heavily. "To put it in crude Layman's Terms, yes. The prophecies imply that the One will be gifted with prophetic dreams - dreams that show her what is to come."

Alec snorted. "Right, all of a sudden Max is a psychic?"

"Foolish boy! You need to understand the gravity of your situation. Ask her if you don't believe me. Ask her about her dreams." Having had enough, Sandeman turned and stormed off. Without even looking back, he said, "If she needs some real explanations for what she is seeing, you send for me."

* * *

As Alec rounded the corner to the medical wing, he was met by Mira. "Alec, she's more alert now. She's been asking for you."

"Thanks Mira. Could you do me a favor and get everyone out of her room?" Max in her normal state hated everyone nosing around in her business. There was no way in hell she'd want people she didn't know to hear it.

"Sure, Alec." Mira rushed ahead and cleared the room for him. She followed everyone out only after checking Max's vitals. Soon the medical room was silent except for the steady, reassuring beep of Max's heart monitor.

"Alec?" Max called out weakly from the bed.

"Yeah, it's me. They said you wanted to see me?" Alec's eyes took in the site before him. Max was still so frail and the wires that Mira had hooked up to her were adding to the morbid image. _Too soon to see her in one of these damn beds again._

"Come on over here. I promise I won't bite." Max managed a small smile as she motioned Alec over to the bed. "It looks bad, I know. But I'm not any worse off than I was yesterday when they let me outta here."

_Maybe Sandeman was right and she_ is _psychic,_ Alec thought, amused that she had just reassured his unspoken worries. Alec walked over, hands in his pockets and took a seat on the edge of the bed. "Yeah, well...you weren't in the best shape then. You've been through a helluva lot."

Max's eyes grew cold and her grin slipped away, letting Alec know that he'd said the wrong thing. "You have no idea what I've been through. None of the people here could possibly know."

"Shit, Max. We don't know because you won't tell us! But it doesn't take a friggin' genius to figure out that something really bad happened to you. The fact that you lost your memory kinda helps that theory."

Alec and Max stared each other down, both defiant. Then Max let out a deep breath. "Fine. I'm too impatient to deal with a damned staring contest. What do you want to know?"

"Well, um..." Alec paused, trying to think of something to ask. Now that he had the chance to find out what happened to his girl, he wasn't sure if he wanted to know. _The dream will wait,_ he decided. "What's the first thing you remember from Amarillo?"

Max closed her eyes and Alec felt her fists clench on the bed. After several minutes, Alec was sure she wasn't going to say anything. He nearly jumped when she spoke. "Bright red lights. It seemed like there was more before that, but the clearest first thing is bright red lights shining right in my eyes. It felt like they were going right through my head."

Alec shuddered and Max felt the vibration on the bed. "What, you know what I'm talkin' about?"

"Sounds a hell of a lot like the lasers used in psy-ops back at Manticore. Hard to tell, though it could explain the memory loss. Anything else?" Alec knew if they'd used Manticore techniques that there was a very good chance Max wouldn't recover all of her memories for a long time.

Another pause before Max spoke again, shorter this time than the last. "Yeah. All these images flashin' in my head. Like a really messed up movie where all the frames are out of whack. Words. Voices."

"What were the words?" Alec was pretty sure he already knew. _Sounds like White got his hands on some psy-ops equipment. _

Max focused on the images in her head, trying to remember. "Mission, duty, - "

"Discipline," Alec finished. Max looked up at him surprised and he rushed to explain. "White definitely used Manticore technology on you. I guess he thought you'd be easier to handle. Probably how he got you to believe you were at a military base and he was your CO. That bastard," Alec seethed through gritted teeth.

"You seem more pissed about how he did it than that he did it," Max observed, noticing that he was getting very angry.

"No, well kind of. Manticore, you know, the place we were made and grew up?" Max nodded, not needing the refresher course. "Well, they used that technology to make us forget when we couldn't deal with something we'd done. And to teach us lessons when we did something wrong. There aren't too many people here who could say that psy-ops doesn't still give 'em nightmares every now and then."

_From the look on his face, seems like he's not a stranger to the lasers either. _ "There's so much pain in your eyes," she said quietly. "And I feel like I should know why. It drives me crazy that I don't." Max raised her hand as if to cup his face in her palm, but then suddenly let it fall back down.

"You're probably better off forgetting all that you knew about my pain. You might not think too much of me if you knew..."

"I was with you before and I knew, right?" The bluntness of her statement took Alec by surprise and he simply nodded. "See? Not so bad then." She smiled again weakly and he returned it. Alec placed his hand over hers on her stomach and gave it a gentle squeeze, but she pulled away as if his touch was red hot. Then, as if practiced, both became serious once again, the masks of soldiers taking over.

Alec remembered something Mira had told him, practically forced him to hear.

_"Alec, you should try to avoid as much...physical contact as you can. At least for now."_

_"Why? She's not glass. Maybe it'll help her adjust. We all need comfort sometimes," Alec argued._

_Mira closed her eyes, seemingly bracing herself for what she was about to say._

_"You really aren't going to like what I'm going to tell you. Max was...abused -"_

_"Yeah, everyone can see that," Alec said, referring to the scars and bruises all over her body._

_"No, Alec. Only Max and I know about this. Alec, she was - " Mira stopped mid-sentence as Alec began to walk away. She grabbed his arm and turned him around. "Alec, I know you don't want to hear this, but listen to me, okay?"_

_Alec ground his teeth, his jaw flexing with anger, but he didn't say a word as Mira continued. "I found evidence that Max was...sexually abused." Alec closed his eyes, tears of rage and sadness on the verge of falling. "More than once."_

_"Okay, so I won't touch her. Happy?" Alec's voice quivered as he spoke. _

_"Just remember that as good as transgenic recuperative powers are, some scars never heal." _

Alec looked down at Max, afraid to ask what some masochistic part of him needed to know. It seemed like Max could sense that he was about to ask a very difficult question; she tensed up as if bracing for it.

"Why is it that you jump every time I touch you?" Alec couldn't quite cover all of the hurt in that one sentence and Max for some reason felt that she owed it to him to answer.

"It's not...it isn't you specifically. It's just...while I was in Amarillo, they did things to me. Things that disgust me so much now to even think about..."

"If White even once touched you like that - " Alec growled, his fingers clenching into fists at his side. Max shook her head.

"It wasn't him. Well, I guess it may as well have been. I mean, he knew what was going on. Allowed it, encouraged it even. But no, he didn't directly do it. Two from the cleaning staff, a few of the guards, a doctor once, but never the man himself." She spoke so normally, as if she was completely detached from what she was saying, but the pain was evident.

"Oh Max, God, I'm sorry. I mean, I had an idea, Mira said - but I didn't know." He wanted to find each and every one of the men that had touched her and rip them to pieces with his bare hands. And he felt that even doing that wasn't enough. Sensing his abrupt change in mood, and feeling emotional herself, Max did what her instinct told her to. She sat up and threw her arms around his neck.

"Max, I don't want you to think that because we were together before all this, you have to let me touch you. If you aren't comfortable..."

Max saw the uncertainty in his eyes and could feel that he needed reassurance as much as she needed comfort.

"Shut up and hold me."

Alec didn't need to be told twice. After several minutes of letting themselves get lost in the safety of each others' arms, Max pulled away slowly. "So I figure you're not done askin' questions yet. Let's get on with it." _I don't know how much more of this emotional shit I can deal with._

"Alright then. How about this: What was it that freaked you out so much about Sandeman?"

"Who?"

"My bad. The old man at breakfast?" Alec inquired, raising an eyebrow.

Max leaned back against the wall behind her and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know what you're talkin' about." _Everybody already thinks I'm crazy. There ain't no way I'm tellin' anyone 'bout a dream I had where voices talked to me. _

Alec snorted. "Right. You jumped up from the table and damn near fainted when you saw the guy." He stared her directly in the eyes, staring her down once more.

_Hell, maybe he'll be able to tell me what the hell's goin' on with my brain. _"It wasn't exactly him that triggered it, it was that cane." Max's voice was quiet and Alec had to strain to hear what she was saying.

"Go on. You can tell me."

"Nah, never mind. You'll just think I'm crazier than you thought." Max turned her eyes away, refusing to look at him. _Maybe I am crazy._

Alec just laughed and grinned. "Hey, I already know you're crazy. That's why we hooked up in the first place," he said, only half joking. Max couldn't help but smile.

"Promise not to laugh at me?" When Alec nodded sincerely she continued. "Alright. So, a while before I left that place I had this reoccurring dream. I was walkin' through the streets of a city and there were all these dead people lining the streets. A lot of 'em were people that I was sure I knew. Not just people either, ones that looked like the soldiers here. Transgenics. I saw the dog-guy, Joshua. Nearly scared the shit outta me when I saw him here."

She looked up to gauge Alec's reaction before she continued. "Anyway, so then I see all these guys from the Amarillo base walkin' down the streets and somehow I know that they are real powerful. Like diplomats or whatever. White was with 'em." Her body shuddered involuntarily at the thought of the way his eyes had sought her out in the dream. "And then I saw you. You were layin' with all the dead people right next to the guy with the cane. Both of you were dead. I just remember fallin' to my knees beside you, but before I can touch you, I see all these symbols show up on my arm. And I could read the damned things." She struggled trying to remember exactly what the runes had said. "'You are the key. Your sacrifice will bring forth life from death.'" Max didn't look up at Alec or she would've seen the shock on his face upon hearing Sandeman's words repeated.

"Was there anything else? Anything else that you can remember about the dream?" he asked softly._ Dammit, now I'll have to get Sandeman in here._

"Yeah...wow this is gonna sound crazy. After I read what the things said, this voice told me, 'let this not come to pass,' right? So then the whole damned scene changes. All of White's people are on the ground and dead and all the other people are alive. Well, mostly anyways. You and the old guy are standing over _my_ dead body. Then the creepy voice went all déja vû and repeats itself. Then bam, dream over." Max looked up and saw that Alec's face had gone pale. "What? Hey, you alright?"

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine. So what do you think it means?" Alec didn't want to believe what he'd just heard. _She can't die. I lost her once, it's not happening again._

"Well, I guess I got the impression that I gotta die in order for everyone else to live and bring down the bad guys." She said it so nonchalantly that she could've been talking about shopping - not her own death. Alec was utterly silent, so Max spoke again. "You ever heard anything so crazy before in your whole life?"

"Once. I'm gonna get Sandeman, alright? He seems to know a lot about this kind of thing. Prophesies and all that mumbo jumbo bullshit." Max grabbed his arm as he went to stand up, a scared look in her eyes. "Look, don't worry. Sandeman's alright. He's actually the one responsible for all of us. He's the one that mixed our wonderful DNA cocktails." Max loosened her grip enough for him to slip away. Before he left the room, however, he shot a grin in her direction. "I'll be right back."

* * *

"Brenam! Get over here, now!" Raina called out across the room. She raised her binoculars to her eyes and focused in on the figure lying in the hospital bed.

"What is it Raina?" Brenam walked up next to Raina at the window and took the binoculars she handed to him. "She's alone?"

"That she is. He finally left her all by herself. I think it's time to make an early move while the coast is clear."

"But we wanted _both_ of them. And we can't go in now - it's still daylight!" Brenam shook his head and shoved the binoculars back at his second. "Even if we could get to her, there's no way we could get her out alive. And we need her alive!"

"Brenam, listen to me. How about we just send in one person for recon? Just to follow them both around for the rest of the day. How about Blaine? He's just itching for a little action." Raina was becoming impatient with Brenam's overly cautious manner.

"And you listen to _me_, Raina," Brenam said, his voice full of venom. "Blaine, you, and everyone else can just wait to get 'a little action' for another seventeen hours give or take. Got it?" Raina narrowed her eyes at him in anger, but held her tongue. "Is that clear, Raina?"

"Crystal, Sir." Raina watched as Brenam left the room and returned to his post. When she was sure that he was gone, she switched her comm unit over to a private channel directly to Blaine. "Blaine. I have an assignment for you." As she filled him in on what she wanted him to do, a cruel smile shaped her lips. "I don't care what Brenam said. He doesn't have his head in the game. Just do it."

Blaine would be keeping his eye on the prize. _No way we're losing the bitch this time.

* * *

_

Blaine made it into the city with nearly no trouble. No one had seen him, though he'd had a close call when he'd been on his way to the medical wing. A group of guards had almost ran right into him, but he'd managed to crawl into the basement floor of the transgenics' makeshift hospital. Now he had situated himself right over the hospital bed that contained his target. The ventilation shaft had been a lucky guess. He could follow her pretty much anywhere and keep an eye on her.

* * *

Max threw the covers off of herself, carefully but quickly extricating herself from the various wires attaching her to the medical equipment. After doing a quick sweep with her eyes and closing the blinds she pulled the blue hospital gown over her head and changed into her clothes. _I wish Alec would hurry his ass up with this Sandeman guy. I'm getting bored. _

Above her head, she thought she heard a voice. _What the hell? Are the walls in this place that thin? _she thought as she cocked her head and listened.

Repeat. Blaine, is everything alright? I lost visual.>>

Max tried to remember everything she'd seen from outside the building. _There isn't a second floor to this wing. _"Shit." She casually let her eyes turn upwards and caught the faint glint of something metal in the grate above her bed. Adrenaline surged through her body as she walked over to the closet. Her gaze fell on a broom and she smiled. _That'll do._ Keeping the broom out of view and making sure not to look at the vent, she walked until she was nearly under it. Then with a flourish almost too quick to see, she thrust the broom handle up at the ceiling tiles around the vent. She heard a strangled cry, but kept hitting the ceiling tiles. Suddenly, the tiles gave way and a man came tumbling down to the floor.

He was quickly to his feet and spat in Max's direction. "You're comin' home 452," he snarled.

"I am home,_ Blaine."_ Max swung the broom at his head and he dodged it effortlessly. Faking a blow to her left, she kicked out her foot to the right and caught him in the ribs. Without waiting for her foot to even hit the floor, she brought the broom handle down hard against the back of his head, splitting the wood. But still he stood up. "Haven't you had enough yet?"

"We haven't even started 452." Several quick punches landed on her stomach, chest and head and she was tossed back into the wall. "That all you got?"

When Max righted herself, her eyes held a feral gleam. The look she gave him caused even the Familiar to take an involuntary step back. She brushed herself off and then launched at Blaine, bringing them both to the ground. Sniffing the air, she could smell his fear and she reveled in it. Ceaselessly she threw blow after blow at anywhere she could reach until he stopped moving. Thinking he was unconscious, she moved her hands to each side of his head, ready to snap his neck.

"Max, what the hell is going on?"

She turned to look in the direction of the intrusion and saw Alec and Sandeman. Before she knew what was happening, Blaine's eyes snapped open. He lifted his feet and kicked her like a rag doll all the way across the room. She didn't even have a chance to cry out as she landed hard against the glass and metal medicine cabinet. The glass shattered all around her and she saw Alec going after Blaine before she passed out.

* * *

**To be Continued

* * *

**

Hope you all enjoyed the latest installment :) Please R&R  



	17. Shattered Glass and Broken Dreams

--Previously in LET--

_Max turned as she heard someone yelling her name and was immediately swept up into a hug by two unknown people. She didn't move, the physical contact making her anxious and uncomfortable. Suddenly, she was released and she took the opportunity to survey the people obviously so very happy to see her. "Who are you?" In both pairs of eyes she saw a wave of hurt flow before it was masked. _

_Alec ran a hand through his hair again, wondering the best way to explain who they were. "Max, they're from the unit you were in when you were a kid. They're kinda like family to you. Well, one is actually your sibling, same genetic mother or some such..." Gesturing to first the woman, then the man, he said, "This is Syl and Krit. Krit is the one that's actually related to you." _

* * *

_Max's eyes gradually focused on the scene above her. The gray-haired man and Hazel-Eyes - Alec - were standing above her. "Just like the dream," she muttered. She felt extremely dazed, like she'd gone a year without sleep and it was catching up with her all at once. "They're all gonna die. My fault." _

* * *

_Alec didn't want to believe what he'd just heard._ She can't die. I lost her once, it's not happening again. 

* * *

_She turned to look in the direction of the intrusion and saw Alec and Sandeman. Before she knew what was happening, Blaine's eyes snapped open. He lifted his feet and kicked her like a rag doll all the way across the room. She didn't even have a chance to cry out as she landed hard against the glass and metal medicine cabinet. The glass shattered all around her and she saw Alec going after Blaine before she passed out._

* * *

Chapter Seventeen: Shattered Glass and Broken Dreams

"Raina, where the hell is Blaine?" Brenam stalked back and forth in front of the red-headed Familiar, his whole body tense with rage. "I've been calling him on the comms for over an hour now, and not a damned word!" He stopped his pacing and eyed Raina with accusation, sardonic grin upon his face. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about his whereabouts, would you?"

On the surface, Raina looked calm but mildly annoyed by her partner's accusations. But inwardly, she was screaming curses at herself and at Blaine. _The stupid bastard had to go and get himself caught. _"No, I wouldn't. You know this is the first time he's been out in a while, he probably went and got himself a piece of ass." _Knowing Blaine, that's what he's thinking while he watches her._

"You've been spending too much time studying 452's habits," Brenam chastised. "You're starting to sound like her." His features chilled and Raina could've sworn the room had gotten a few degrees colder. "You know damn well that Blaine wouldn't touch a human, unless it was to kill them." He advanced on her, and she had to reign in the urge to take a step back. "Where is he, Raina? You ordered him to go watch her, didn't you? Even after I specifically forbade it?"

Raina never once faltered as Brenam spewed his suspicions only inches from her face. "If Blaine was stupid enough to go into the transgenics' city, then it's no one's fault but his own." _Not exactly a lie,_ she thought with an inward grin. "You know how cocky he is, Brenam. The most probable explanation is that he decided he'd be the one to capture 452 and steal the glory all for himself." She saw in Brenam's eyes that he was not convinced of her innocence, but he backed off.

Before leaving the room to do his rounds, he turned back to Raina. "We go ahead as scheduled whether Blaine shows or not. If he ruined the mission, it's _both _your asses."

When Brenam had left, Raina turned to the window and let her forehead rest on the cool pane. She watched the relentless rain that had descended on the city slide down the glass in front of her. "If he told them anything, it's _all_ our asses," she whispered.

* * *

_Red-rimmed hazel eyes looked at her, an incomprehensible pain residing there. "I don't want your pity. I want your absence." _

_A television screen where only impersonal blue eyes looked out from red streaming banners. "This is a Streaming Freedom Video Bulletin..." _

_"Baby Girl, when are you and hot-boy gonna tie the knot? It's been 4 damned years, and just 'cause y'all be lookin' like damn fine teenagers - and actin' like 'em too - Original Cindy knows y'all ain't gettin' any younger."_

_"So, I was thinking, after the election is over, do you think...maybe we could get away from here for a little while? Maybe take a much needed vacation?" Those hazel orbs sparkled with such vitality and love. She felt safe._

_"Max, I've been waiting so long for this. This is how it is supposed to be," the same blue eyes from the television screen looked down at her, filled with a maniacal gleam, sending chills down her spine." You'll realize, you'll see. After this is over, you'll see that this is what you want. That you made a mistake. He won't want you after this. He'll hate you. But I'll still be here. I'll always be here. But he won't." _

_"We got a deal, Ames? Me for them. You let me see them walk out of here safe, let them take the injured and dead, and you get me." She felt the cold steel barrel pressed against her temple, her finger ready at the trigger. Ready to end her own life if it would save those she loved. She had to do it for him, for all of them. _

_"Alec, I have to. Please, just go." Her voice broke with the next words. "I love you." _

_The air smelled of blood and flesh - of death. She dropped to her knees next to the lifeless form on the side of the street. "Alec, how could I let this happen. I know who you are, now. I love you! You can't be dead!" The disembodied voice spoke to her, the wind carrying the whispered words to her sensitive ears. 'Your sacrifice will bring forth life from death.' She looked deeply into the hazel eyes of the man she loved as the glaze of death dissipated and Alec sat up. "You're alive! Oh god, how?" _

_"Because you aren't," he said sadly, looking at her abdomen. She followed his gaze and saw her own blood flowing freely from the wound. _

Her eyes fluttered as she struggled to wake from her disturbing slumber. Max's lips parted in an almost inaudible plea. "But I just found you! Please don't let me die, I love you Alec."

Alec's head snapped upwards as he heard her softly spoken words. _Did she just say what I thought she said? _He placed his hand on her shoulder and shook her gently. "Max, wake up. It's just a dream."

Her eyes flew open and as soon as she registered the face she was seeing, she lunged up and threw her arms around Alec, her gut-wrenching sobs echoing in the tiled medical room. He murmured reassurances as he held her, his fingers playing on her back soothingly. "What'd you remember, baby?" He barely heard her when she said 'Enough' because her mouth was pressed in the crook of his neck, muffling her words.

"What's got you so upset?" He was almost afraid to know. She'd been through so much that he hadn't been able to save her from.

"I saw you and Cindy," she paused as a shudder ran through her body, "Logan and White." Max felt his body tense at the mention of the men, but then relaxed again as he tightened his hold on her. "I can tell that there is so much that I still don't remember. It's like all the memories are here in my head, and I can feel 'em, but I can't touch 'em." She shook her head in frustration and immediately her face screwed up in pain. "Damn, my head feels like it's been hit by a truck!" She raised her fingers and began massaging her temples. "What the hell happened?

A lot had happened while Max had been asleep for the past three hours. "One of White's guys was spying on you. From what he said, I gathered you'd figured it out and tried to take care of the situation yourself," he paused, remembering the look that had been in her eyes as she'd prepared to snap the Familiar's neck. The wicked grin she'd worn before being catapulted across the room. "Sandeman and I interrupted, distracted you. The guy tossed you into one of the med cabinets. Mira was less than happy about the damage done to her supplies." He cringed involuntarily. Mira could be damned scary when she wanted to be.

"I remember now. Well, sort of. Guess that explains the major headache." Max closed her eyes and leaned back against the headboard. "I'm so very tired of hospital beds," she muttered. Her eyes opened a second later and Alec noticed something that hadn't been in them only moments before. "Where is he now?"

"He's in a holding cell in the basement." Alec immediately regretted his words when Max's face took on that determined "I'm-gonna-do-something-you-won't-like-and-you-can't-stop-me" look. "Max, whatever you're thinking - NO."

"I just wanna have a little talk with Blaine," she pouted innocently. The look in her eyes was anything but innocent. _And maybe finish what I started - and not just with Blaine, _she thought, remembering that another cause for her nightmares was also in the basement.

"No, Max. I won't let you do that - " Max interrupted him before he could finish. It's almost impossible to continue speaking when someone is kissing you like their life depends on it. Her lips, teeth, and tongue seemed to try to devour him. And with the passion she put into that kiss, he wouldn't - couldn't - fight it. And that's what Max had been counting on.

She pulled her lips away from his only slightly, still brushing against them. "I'm sorry," she whispered. Alec barely had time to ask himself why she was sorry before he felt pain at the back of his neck and then blacked out.

Max quickly extracted herself from under his limp weight, taking only a moment to feel guilty about what she'd done. She looked down at herself, pleased to see that she was still in her own clothes and not a hospital gown. Then she rushed out of the room, down the hall, intent on reaching the basement of TC headquarters. _I've got a few scores to settle._ She remembered Blaine well enough from her stay at Amarillo. What'd he'd done to her had been _after_ her memory loss. She knew that if she'd told Alec what Blaine had subjected her to, he would've gone and killed Blaine himself. No guilt, no regret. But this was something _she_ needed to do to quiet some of her inner demons. Blaine and Logan were birds of a feather in her mind.She grinned with her next thought as she ran; _And I am a very hungry kittie._

* * *

Blaine paced in his small cell, anger coiling in him to tighten muscles. _That bitch! _he thought, cursing Raina. He knew that he never should have listened to her when he knew she had not cleared the recon with Brenam. Raina was one of the most sadistic and power-hungry among the Familiars, and everyone knew it. It was the need for power, glory, and control that had gotten Blaine to agree to do the job - a mistake he would not make again if he made it out of here alive. 

As he heard the thick metal door creak open on its hinges he stilled. Max walked in, closing and the door behind her and grinning like the Cheshire cat. "Hello, Blaine," she greeted coldly. With a blur, her feet lifted from the floor and slammed into Blaine's chest, knocking him into the hard wall. Max fisted both hands in his shirt and leaned close to his face, but he wouldn't look at her. Growling low in her throat, she removed one hand from the material and grabbed his chin roughly, forcing him to meet her gaze. "Did you miss me," she snarled.

Blaine gathered what courage he had and pushed the growling woman away from him, spitting on the floor at her feet. Max just smiled, an action that bared her teeth and held no warmth. Blaine rushed at her, lashing out with feet and hands, only to be blocked at every attempt. When he finally landed a kick to her stomach that made her fall to the floor, he wasted no time before he was on her. All his weight held her down, pinning her to the cold stone. His eyes raked over her, leaving no part of her body untouched by his gaze. He watched as her eyes filled with panic and her body stilled at realizing her current predicament. _Why did I have to knock out the guards?_

"Brings back memories, doesn't it 452?" Blaine took a hand and placed it between their bodies, squeezing her breast with such force that Max let out a small cry of pain. "Why did you come here? Did you come to kill me? Or did you realize that your filthy transgenic lover couldn't do it for you anymore?" Max had started to struggle once more, trying to maneuver herself to a position where she could inflict the kind of pain on her tormentor that she longed to. He only laughed at her futile movements. "I think that's it," he taunted, sneering at her. "You secretly enjoyed our times together." He leaned closer, putting his mouth next to her ear as he placed his fingers under the collar of her shirt. "I figured you would like it rough, but I never expected this." He tugged roughly at the hem of her collar, ripping her shirt down the middle. "I'm going to enjoy myself this time - no limits set by those damned doctors on how much pain I can cause you."

Max turned her mouth to Blaine's ear, whispering, "Bring it on, Blaine." Blaine's head snapped upwards, not expecting her to actually submit. Blaine didn't want her if she wanted him - his game was all about control and domination - not sex or even lust. She took the planned opportunity to bring her head crashing into his nose, sending up a spray of crimson. She pulled up her knee, ramming it into his groin. She'd learned quickly that White's people didn't feel pain - except under certain circumstances. Being turned on and then hit in the groin was definitely one of those circumstances.

Blaine tossed his head back and howled, falling on his back to the floor. "That was for the first time you came to me," she spat. Adrenaline, disgust, and pure hatred coursed through her veins, giving her the strength to do what she needed to do. She pulled back her foot and kicked with all her might, attacking his weak spot once again. "That's for making me too ashamed to even look at myself in the mirror." She had a flutter of déja vû pass through her mind's eye, but pushed it down. She kicked him again and gained satisfaction from the tears that streamed down the ruined man's face. "That's for trying it again on my home turf." One more swift movement of her foot ceased all his movement, but she knew he was still awake. A few tears of her own slipped unnoticed down her cheeks as she whispered her next words. "And that is for the piece of me that you stole that I'll never get back." Her voice quivered as wetness fell in rivers on her face.

She wiped at the tears angrily before stooping down next to Blaine's unmoving form. "There are more, aren't there? And they're coming for me." The man hesitated for a moment before nodding his head shakily. "When?"

He kept silent. No matter how much pain she inflicted on him, he would not betray his people. She tangled her fingers in his hair, lifting his face close to hers. "When, Blaine?" The look in her eyes held the promise of more torture should he refuse.

"Tomorrow night," he choked out. He kept his face blank of anything but pain. "But there's...no way...they'll come now. They know I'm weak." The lies cost him nothing - he knew he'd be dead soon anyway. At least this way, their mission wouldn't be compromised.

Max seemed satisfied with his answer. She cradled his head in her hands. "Shh, sleep now," she murmured, her demeanor changing so suddenly she even surprised herself. Blaine closed his eyes and prepared for what came next. Max kept her face neutral as the loud snap of his neck breaking echoed in the room. She dropped his head unceremoniously to the floor and stood up.

Max had a few new bruises on her and a cut on her forehead from her earlier injuries had reopened, spilling blood down her face. The black tank top she'd been so proud of this morning hung like a vest now, exposing her bruised and scarred flesh where it had been ripped open. Max didn't take notice of any of these things as she numbly opened the door, walked out and down the hall. She stopped in front of another door, a more familiar one. She leaned down to the floor, sliding one of the fallen guard's weapons from his holster and entered the room, not bothering about being quiet.

Logan, the man she'd once thought she'd loved - the catalyst for all she'd been through and more - lay on his dilapidated cot. Everyone had forgotten about him, it seemed, since their beloved leader had returned to them. He was sleeping soundly and didn't stir as she walked in and aimed the gun at his head. "Maxie." She heard her name issue forth from the lips of the traitorous man and quicker than thought, pulled the trigger, insuring that he would never again wake.

She stepped back toward the wall until her back felt the coolness of the rock. Her body slumped, sliding along the wall and to the floor as if she no longer had the strength to stand. She wept openly, thinking only of all she'd lost. Whatever innocence she'd had left was gone forever. She threw the gun, not caring where it went. As it hit the glass of the door's window, she sobbed to the sound of shattered glass and broken dreams.

* * *

**To be Continued**


	18. Normality or something like it

Author's Note: I am SOOOOO very sorry for how long it has taken to update, and I know that this particular chapter probably isn't worth the wait, but know that I AM back on this story. Please R&R...I swear I haven't abandoned you all completely.

* * *

--Previously in LET--

_Before leaving the room to do his rounds, he turned back to Raina. "We go ahead as scheduled whether Blaine shows or not. If he ruined the mission, it's _both _your asses."_

_When Brenam had left, Raina turned to the window and let her forehead rest on the cool pane. She watched the relentless rain that had descended on the city slide down the glass in front of her. "If he told them anything, it's _all _our asses," she whispered._

* * *

_"I'm sorry," she whispered. Alec barely had time to ask himself why she was sorry before he felt pain at the back of his neck and then blacked out. _

_I've got a few scores to settle._ _She remembered Blaine well enough from her stay at Amarillo. What'd he'd done to her had been __after_ _her memory loss. She knew that if she'd told Alec what Blaine had subjected her to, he would've gone and killed Blaine himself. No guilt, no regret. But this was something __she_ _needed to do to quiet some of her inner demons. Blaine and Logan were birds of a feather in her mind.__She grinned with her next thought as she ran; __And I am a very hungry kittie._

* * *

_"Tomorrow night," Blaine choked out. He kept his face blank of anything but pain. "But there's...no way...they'll come now. They know I'm weak." The lies cost him nothing - he knew he'd be dead soon anyway. At least this way, their mission wouldn't be compromised. _

* * *

_She stepped back toward the wall until her back felt the coolness of the rock. Her body slumped, sliding along the wall and to the floor as if she no longer had the strength to stand. She wept openly, thinking only of all she'd lost. Whatever innocence she'd had left was gone forever. She threw the gun, not caring where it went. As it hit the glass of the door's window, she sobbed to the sound of shattered glass and broken dreams._

* * *

Chapter Eighteen: Normality or Something Like It

Max had lost track of time while sitting on the cold damp floor of the basement cell. She didn't know how long she'd sat and cried, and she didn't care. It seemed like it had been hours or even days since the events that had led her to her current situation. In truth, it had only been an hour. A guard had come and gone already, unnoticed. Seeing the two dead men and the weeping Max, he'd decided to leave it alone - after all, Blaine and Logan were no great loss and he didn't have training in how to handle crying women. He left to get someone who could help - Alec. 

Alec watched from the doorway, unsure as to what he should do. He knew what he _wanted_ to do. He wanted to run to her and hold her in his arms, tell her that everything would be okay. But they'd both know that was a lie. Blaine was only the first of many that would come for Max. And with Sandeman's prophecy and Max's dreams, there was a lot worse in store for them all than just a few Familiars. 

His hand went to the back of his neck, where Max had injected him with the sedative. The memory of the kiss they'd shared was still fresh in his memory, as was the panic he'd felt when he'd woken up from his unplanned nap. The guard, Noah, had come to him with the news of what Max had done. He'd ignored Mira's insistence about looking him over and had run straight for the basement. Now he stood in the doorway, watching the woman he loved cry, clueless as to what to do. 

"Max? Maxie?" He fought to keep his voice gentle and let none of the panic and worry he was feeling slip through. Max looked up at him through tear-swollen eyes, acknowledging his presence, but staying silent. Alec felt as if he would burst into tears himself, seeing Max so broken and lost. He pushed back the hurt, knowing he didn't have the luxury of a breakdown - Max needed him and he would be strong. _I can have a mental meltdown when this is all over._

He stepped into the room, never taking his eyes away from Max's. She never moved, never said a word as he knelt down next to her. "Max, talk to me." He pleaded with his eyes as well as his words. 

Max stared blankly at the cot where Logan's lifeless body still lay. "I killed them. I killed them both. And I felt nothing. Nothing, Alec. Not guilty, not angry, not even relieved. I just felt nothing." Her voice never wavered even as fresh teardrops rolled down her face. She turned to look at Alec again, her bottom lip quivering. "How can I feel nothing?" 

Alec pulled her into his arms, sliding down to sit on the floor, her head on his chest. "Maxie, if you don't feel anything then why are you crying? You have to feel _something_ to cry." She didn't respond for what seemed like ages, and Alec didn't prod her. He was simply glad that she was letting him hold her. 

She pulled back from the embrace just far enough to look into Alec's eyes. "I was crying for myself. I know, selfish right? I cried over the things that _I'd _lost. Not over the fact that I had just killed two people. Two people who will never get any older...I cried because I should feel something, and I didn't. I cried because I killed at least a dozen people in Amarillo and I felt...I _enjoyed _it. It was like something took over then, something...primal. But now...it was like I...like I was just empty," she paused to take a deep breath, "Those were two of the people that it should've made me feel good to kill. All I felt was sorry for myself." Max tried to read Alec's eyes, to see if he thought she was crazy, a lost cause. What she saw instead was an unconditional caring with a depth that astounded her. 

"Max, after all you've been through, a lot of it I can't even imagine, I think you deserve a little time for self-pity. And as for feeling nothing about killing them," he stopped, his eyes taking on a far away look as he remembered. "We were all trained to go to that cold place when we kill. That empty place that allows us to take a life and _not_ feel anything. It's a safety mechanism engrained in your mind. There isn't anything wrong with it." Alec pulled her a little closer to him, feeling her tense for a few seconds and then relax into his chest. 

Silence dominated for moments, but it was a comfortable silence. One that simply meant there was nothing more to say, and that was alright.

* * *

An hour passed as the two transgenics sat on the cold stone floor of the cell. Max's breathing had slowed, her chest no longer rising and falling unevenly with sobs and panic. Alec's fingers danced absentmindedly through the curly mass as, thinking Max asleep, he allowed his thoughts to wander. It seemed like lifetimes had passed since the days when they would banter over morning coffee. An eternity since they'd shared a bed, and with it, their hearts. _She says she remembers, but how much does that change things? Do I still sleep on the couch? Do I keep my distance? Can I say 'I love you'?_

Alec shook his head, closing his eyes. "But what's a couple of nights on the couch compared to the end of humanity?" he asked himself aloud, bitter in realization of the futility of his selfishness. He rested his head against the wall, eyes still closed. He took a deep breath and drank in the sweet scent of the woman in his lap. 

"You don't have to sleep on the couch," Max said, a hint of amusement in her voice. Alec jerked his head up in surprise, looking down to meet Max's wide-eyed gaze. 

"What?" Alec frowned, his eyes narrowing as he spoke. "I thought you were asleep." 

Max grinned as she readjusted and snuggled into Alec's side. "Nope. Just relaxed. I think I've spent quite enough time unconscious, thank you very much," she said smugly as Alec went uncharacteristically quiet, still stroking her hair. She glanced at the now empty cot, realizing she hadn't even noticed anyone come in to remove Logan's body. She shuddered despite the comfort she'd found in Alec's arms. She moved to stand, holding her hand out to Alec. "Can we go somewhere that's not here?" she asked, false bravado not hiding the slight quiver in her voice. 

Alec grasped her hand and pulled himself up. "You bet, babe," he replied, putting a hand on the small of her back. As they entered the hallway, he wondered if he were right to act so nonchalant after all that had happened. Regretfully, he ceased contact. 

To his surprise, Max stopped in mid-stride and spun to face him. "You know, you don't have to tiptoe around me like I'll break if you touch me or say the wrong thing. I may not remember everything, but I remember enough to know that no one ever treads this carefully around me." 

Alec raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Really?" he asked. "That isn't the way I remember it. I for one remember treading very carefully in order to avoid your wrath...and permanent brain damage." 

Chuckling, Max feigned a slap at his head. "Ah, but that would imply you having a brain to damage." Alec slid an arm around her waist. 

"I never thought I'd miss being insulted, but I have," he grinned. 

_I need this, _Max thought, leaning her head on Alec's shoulder as she pushed the negativity of recent events to the recesses of her mind. _Just a little normalcy before all hell breaks loose again. _

Max grinned as they made their way up the stairs. "Yep, the bitch is back."

* * *

**To be Continued**


End file.
